


People Pleaser

by ShotaAnarchist



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal
Genre: ALSO EVENTUAL PEGGING, Abusive Parents, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Akechi Goro Lives, Akechi Goro Redemption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bottom Persona 5 Protagonist, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Eventual femdom lol, Everyone Is Gay, Femdom, Gore, Half-Korean Persona 5 Protagonist, Heavy Angst, Human Morgana (Persona Series), Hurt No Comfort, INCLUDING MORGANA, Idol Kurusu Akira, Implied Relationships, Multi, Multilingual Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past eating disorder, Polythieves (Persona 5), Self-Indulgent, Sexual Abuse, Short Persona 5 Protagonist, Slow Burn, Sub Persona 5 Protagonist, Suicidal Thoughts, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, Whump, YES ALL OF THEM EVENTUALLY FUCK, akira has a different 3rd tier persona, eventual palace au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:13:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 200,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24064123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShotaAnarchist/pseuds/ShotaAnarchist
Summary: Kurusu Yejun Akira is a perfect human being— or atleast that's what he wants to be. Whether it be his academic studies, music, singing, dancing, looks, and personality; it all has to be perfect. It's what the world demands of him as an idol.His parents control his every action, oulling him by the strings as the dances around, mercilessly fed to the masses by pleasing their every desire. This is all Yejun has known and this is what he will always be, or so he believes.An unprecedented situation that paints him as a criminal where he's whisked away to spend his probation in Tokyo and the power of your true self tells him maybe that what life set out for him wasn't what it'd always be.Can he still accept the life that fate had painted for him?A retelling of P5R and P5S.Currently on:Madarame Arc
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 61
Kudos: 253





	1. Prologue: Bratty Kid

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my socials!! And also DM me if you want
> 
> Discord: ShotaAnarchist#9076  
> Twitter: @ShotaAnarchist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of hell, as well as a look into Akira's daily life before the fated incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **ADDITIONAL WARNINGS/INFORMATION:**  
> 
> 
> -Akira is half-korean and also shorter than Futaba (Futaba is 5'0", Akira is 4'11"). He does a lot of different dance styles, but he started off with modern and contemporary.
> 
> Akira's beginning stats:
> 
> Knowledge: Rank 5  
> Kindness: Rank 1  
> Proficiency: Rank 1  
> Guts: Rank 2  
> Charm: Rank 3
> 
> -Akira's birth name is Kurusu Akira. Because of his parent's influence and power though, school files and other things list his Korean name. Moon is his mother's maiden name.  
> -Human Morgana doesn't happen until the 3rd semester.  
> -Extremely slow burn. Like, painfully slow burn. Slow burn so hard you're roasted. Relationship actually becomes a relationship after the end of 3rd semester.  
> -Kamoshida is mostly the reason for the non-con tag uh oh.

Akira couldn’t really recall when this whole idol thing started. He didn't pinpoint an exact time when he started shaking people's hands, dancing in front of crowds, singing to people over videos, or even ending up as a person that strangers loved to see on their screens.

Akira wasn't exactly a sad child growing up, but he wasn't happy. It was almost like a complete detachment. 

He was just a normal kid born in Korea and sent to cram schools every single day at a young age, he even took music lessons, making sure to listen to everything his instructors ever said to him. His mother worked a day job at a manufacturing company and his father was overseas in Japan earning money to provide for their family. One day, his father had an amazing opportunity presented to him; the ability to foster his own company. 

Young Akira had moved from Korea to Japan when he was seven.

It was the first time he had been in Japan, and now the expectations that had been set on him were even higher. His mother and father were upstanding and well-known citizens in both countries in their respective towns. Akira had to be good at  _ a lot _ of things, but now that his father's company was booming it was even  _ worse. _ His bad actions couldn't reflect on his parents because they were suddenly pushed into the public view of the media.

Akira was whipped into shape by his parents. He played piano, guitar, violin, and all sorts of other instruments. He knew how to dance, he had vocal lessons for singing, he studied for hours every single day, and he didn't even bother making friends— Akira worked hard every day to become a perfect figure for the media. Always smile, never say no, read their emotions,  _ don't slip up. _

Perfection was what the world wanted from him, so he gave it to them.

Akira was marketed by his parents as soon as they realized the potential he had if he was in the entertainment industry. He was forced into the limelight at a young age, just an eleven-year-old boy with a feminine face and body.

After a few appearances in the media, he was signed into a talent agency that focused on creating dance studios with talented instructors and idols that sing and dance their hearts out to the masses. Akira was marketed as Moon Yejun, and he would appeal to people in both Korea and Japan.

Yejun realized from the very beginning that everybody had ulterior motives. As much as Yejun wanted to be giving and kind, he couldn't do that with some people. In his short amount of time in the spotlight, he was horrified to find himself becoming just like these people. Self-indulgent and haughty. He hated it, he hated himself for it.

His presence and fame skyrocketed when he turned fourteen. Yejun performed for crowds with original songs and choreography, he modeled in magazines, he became a staple for young Japanese citizens that changed the format. In other words— he was a star.

Behind this smiley exterior however, he just wanted to live in peace and quiet. He wanted to be able to sit at the edge of a river and enjoy the scenery, he wanted to be able to have friends and talk about things that he was interested in. 

In reality, Akira was a soft and shy person that was molded into something he didn't recognize.

Akira laid in his bed, the clock ticking as it came closer and closer to ten o'clock. He trained his eyes on a random wall and fiddled with the hem of his shirt for a bit, before spreading his arms out and yawning. 

The walls of his room were barren. The only furniture inside it was a simple oak desk, dresser, and bed frame. Akira slept on a mattress with a blanket and a pillow that was thrown onto it. The walls were a dull grey color, and his room barely got sunlight because he never wanted to open the windows. He didn't want to open them, fearing that people could see inside of his house, which is why the curtains were always closed in their home.

Everybody loved Akira’s family because they were kind and giving. They gave money to charity, fed the homeless, always so kind with their words— Akira would laugh at the sentiment, but he knew that showing too much emotion would result in tragedy. If they saw what happened inside of the house, people would be shocked.

Moon Luxury Jewelry was the name of their brand and his father’s company. Wedding rings, necklaces, rings, earrings, piercings of all sorts, and diamonds of the highest quality. Only the rich and luxurious could purchase from their stock. His father’s company manufactured and dug up gemstones themselves. Nothing was ever outsourced to other companies, it was only their own employees that handled the work.

Yejun had many piercings of his own, with all of the accessories coming from his father's company. He was a living and breathing advertisement for their company.

Even though their employees were treated with care and kindness with good pay, Akira didn't get the same treatment. He didn't have the privilege of money and he had to work for it himself. The money he earned from his agency creating concerts, albums, and pictures to put Yejun in magazines never went to him, it went to his parents. It never came back.

He had to buy his own food, clothes, school supplies, and electronics. His parents took care of the bare minimum that Akira needed, like his medical expenses, but it was still  _ his _ money that  _ he _ earned.

Akira worked a separate job on top of school and all of his other work because none of the money he earned as Moon Yejun actually went to him. People assumed that he worked a common job so he could relate more to other people and show off his kindness, but really it’s because he's poor.

Whenever he went to school in the morning, people either gave him jealous stares or cheerful waves. Kyunin Savant Academy was known for being the best in the country, and he couldn't hide from the school that he was Yejun. His records in the school name him as Moon Yejun, and so does his agency despite the fact it wasn’t his birth name.

Kurusu Akira didn't exist anymore. To the world, nobody knew who that was. All they knew was the smiling face of Moon Yejun. The intelligent, multi-talented child star that made people laugh and swoon over his cuteness. He was the pinnacle of innocence and love.

Kyunin Savant Academy went from preschool to the third (and final) year of high school. It had an insane college acceptance rate and a strict curriculum and was separated into the Fine Arts division and an Academics division. Both divisions had their own buildings and uniforms to separate themselves from each other. Fine Arts dealt with painting, dance, theater, singing, and music production. The Academics division focused on other things like medical information, law, and psychology. Yejun was a split between the divisions, but he was ultimately placed in the Fine Arts division.

Akira jolted up out of his bed and smoothed back his hair. Right, he had school… Akira slapped the sides of his cheeks and walked to the door of his bedroom, ready to leave for school that day. He didn't have time to think.

He was called in one morning with his counselor to discuss his future. Yejun's dyed white hair was parted to the side, falling elegantly over one of his eyes.

"I honestly don't need to say much, Moon-san. This is just a requirement to talk to every second year about their plans, but we already know who you are. You're an excellent student, and we're glad to have you as our eventual alumni," his counselor complimented. Yejun smiled and bowed slightly before the man continued, "You're going to be headed for college after this. Majoring in music production or dance, I presume? And after that, you'll be continuing with your work."

"Ah, yes," Yejun told him. "I'll most likely also be getting a minor in business since I'm the heir to my father's company. Even while I'm attending college, I'll still be working with my agency."

"Moon Yejun, you're an incredibly talented student. You have a very bright future ahead of you and I can't wait to see how you progress," his counselor said to him. "You are dismissed. Please head over to your classes as usual."

"Yes, sir. Please excuse me," Yejun said, standing up from his seat before walking out into the marble halls of his school.

Yejun attended his classes and made highly detailed notes, his eyes staring straight ahead on the board and ears tuned in on the lecture. He couldn't fall behind when it came to grades. If he did, it'd be a disaster. He sighed, unhooking one of the buttons on his white dress shirt so he could breathe more freely. It was like he was choking from the environment.

His uniform consisted of a navy blue sweater vest, a black jacket with the school's emblem, black slacks, and a black-tie with some black loafers. Yejun twisted one of the earrings around his left ear out of sheer boredom, urging himself to keep his attention on something  _ somehow. _

Every single day after school, he visited a local dance studio to practice and review his choreography. It was owned by the Horigome's, a sweet elderly couple with a ditzy but kind granddaughter. She's a year younger than him, and he always gets a weird tingly feeling in his chest whenever she peeks in to see what he's doing. She likes to practice dancing with him when she has the chance and Yejun doesn't really mind, either. He offers his time to teach her some of his choreography for fun.

"Senpai, can you help me with this part again? I can't remember it…" Airin asked him. She demonstrated the dance move to Yejun, and he immediately recognized that it looked off.

"Here, follow my lead. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight— Okay, can you do it for me?" Yejun asked her. Airin nodded before trying the move out.

"Ah! It's your legs. You're supposed to point your toe at this part. It should also be more at an angle and put further away from your left leg," Yejun said, walking up behind her and fixing her position with her hands. "You should be good now. Try it like this."

When she tried it again, Yejun clapped his hands to count the intervals and movements. She did it seamlessly this time, and she fixed her posture. He clapped his hands and complimented her, "There you go! Just need a bit of help. You know, you should probably join a dance team."

"I-I would, but all of them are based in places like Tokyo and Kyoto… Our little town is way too far away."

"Hey, I make the trip to Tokyo every weekend and every time we're on vacation, even though it's a long commute. If you're really looking to join it, I can recommend you to my agency?" Yejun asked her. She rapidly shook her hands and head.

"N-no! I couldn't make you do that, Senpai… But, thank you. You're so kind, Moon-senpai…"

Yejun smiled and patted her on the back. "Well, if you ever need any backing up, I'm here for you. Count on me for anything."

"Even if I ask you how to do your sexy dances?" Airin asked him.

"Uh, that's a bit…" Yejun trailed on, not knowing what to say to that. Airin just laughed, covering her mouth and looking down at him.

"I'm just kidding! Thanks for the offer, Senpai. I'll take you up on it in due time," she said to him. Her eyes trailed over to the clock on the wall and she suddenly gasped. "Oh, gosh— Don't you have work today? I'm so sorry, I'm taking up your time…"

"Huh?" Yejun said, pulling his phone out and checking the time. He quickly stashed his phone back and ran for his bag. "Oh no! It's all right, I'll be able to make it. I have to rush though. See you, Horigome-san! Good luck on your entrance exams!"

"Thank you, Senpai! I'm really sorry!" She called out as Yejun picked up his sports bag and jacket before running out of the glass door.

The only time that Akira really got to enjoy himself and relax was when he worked at his part-time job. He worked at a flower shop and was kept busy with making flower arrangements and corsages. Although he couldn't shake off his Yejun mask, he enjoyed working with the flowers. The smell, the bright colors, the relaxed nature of snipping off stems, and displaying them beautifully: that's what he enjoyed most. Akira also enjoyed dancing, singing, and producing music, but it was a forced task. Handing out bouquets to people with a smile  _ wasn't. _

He's worked here since he was in middle school, so he knows the other workers quite well. Within the years he's made money, he's only gotten up to five-hundred thousand yen. He's had to change the location of where he puts his money multiple times so his parents don't find it, but the few times they have they take all of it.

Every single day when he went home from work or school, he always tried to avoid his mother (and potentially his father if he was coming home late that day) and bolted straight for his room upstairs. He crosses the long hallway and goes into the second door on the left. Right across from his bed is a ventilation shaft.

Akira quickly grabs a chair and picks it up from the ground slightly so it doesn't make noise, places it in front of the vent, and unscrews it.

There's a messy stack of cash inside. Akira takes out the money from half of his wallet and shoves it inside the vent. He doesn't have a credit card and his parents won't let him have one for obvious reasons, so he needs to stash it in this dusty vent.

After he did so, he arranged his room back to its original setting. He wasn't allowed to lock his door, and he always stayed inside his room except when he needed food. Akira has a stash of food set away in the bathroom right next to him hidden in one of the cabinets in case an incident happens, but everything there was saved for that occasion.

He waited in his room for hours, laying in his bed, and scrolling through social media. Most days he felt like doing nothing, but he always forced himself to get up. He needed to be something or someone to society. Akira wasn't allowed to make mistakes or be a disappointment. When Akira's stomach acid finally started to cause him immense pain from hunger, he snuck down the stairs to grab something to eat. It was late, maybe around ten o'clock?

He took down a bag with him to shove everything he needed inside to take it up to his room, but after he raided his refrigerator he saw his mother.

His mother was in the living room, eating a castella cake with straight posture, a forkful of the slice sliding between her red-colored lips before she set it down and looked over to him. Akira fixed his posture, putting his hands behind his back, his chin up, and listened to the words she had to say. 

"…What have you been doing the entire day?" She asked him.

"Studying," he said firmly to her. He didn't stutter, he didn't talk back. He kept a straight face at all times. But on the inside? Akira wanted to throw up, even though nothing but acid would come up.

"I expect that. I'm more focused on your appearance though. Have you been using the makeup and facial treatments I've provided you?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then why do you look so ugly? You look like a skeleton. Are you proud of that?" She asked him. Akira looked away, his eyes targeting onto anywhere but her face.

"N-no…"

"Then do me a favor and get out of the house. I don't want to see that horrendous face. I can't believe I gave birth to someone as hideous as you," she insulted him. Akira stood there for a bit, shaking in fear. "I mean it, get out now! Worthless child…"

"…Yes, ma'am," he said, turning on his heels. He slipped on his shoes and slammed the door shut behind him. It was dark. He had the light on in his room almost the entire time, so the darkness was hard to react to. 

Akira kicked a smooth stone across the pavement.

In reality, he had nothing. Absolutely zilch. He couldn't stand up for himself, even if he wanted to…

A dog barked in the distance, and with his bag slung over his left shoulder he started to walk down the road. Akira seemed to walk faster and faster as time went on, wanting to run away from his problems. He was better than everyone because he's a prodigy. He's a miracle child, he couldn't be anything else. And then Akira froze. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a hoarse and rude voice echoing throughout the street, slurring on the words being shouted.

"Just get in the car!" A man's voice persistently urged, the voice of a woman struggling and yelling back in protest. Her voice was cracking. 

"Stop it!"

Akira could hear it so clearly, but he didn't do anything at first. In fact, he started walking backwards as soon as he heard it. It wasn't his problem, why would he care about it? It wouldn't benefit him, so he wouldn't interfere.

_ "I should stay out of trouble," _ Akira told himself.  _ "I should just go to the convenience store and ignore this, but I—" _

Akira hated that side of himself.  _ Yejun _ hated that side of himself. The side that believed in kindness and wanted to help… The side that he learned to ditch was crawling back out. And he couldn't stop it.

"How dare you cross me!" The man said arrogantly, the woman pleading with him again to stop it and leave her alone. 

Akira was running back over to the argument. He needed to stop this. Everything in his brain screamed at him that this was a horrible decision, that nothing would change. What, you think you're the hero now? After manipulating people for your own profit, you  _ really _ think you can stop this?

"No…!" The woman said as Akira ran back, stumbling onto the scene. He kicked up dust and pebbles with his shoes. A bald man was trying to push her into a car, the woman struggling against his grip as the man kept trying to shove her in the backseat. She was standing her ground though. 

"Don't give me that shit…" The man said. He was drunk; Akira could tell by the soft glow of red on his cheeks. She groaned in pain as the man held onto her wrist with a tight grip.

He could do one good thing in his life, just for once… Akira's mask slowly started to peel off as he inched closer. 

"Tch, what a waste of time. You think you're worth causing me trouble? Hah?" The man told the woman, his breath reeking of beer. Akira wasn't strong enough for this. Maybe he could use his status as an idol? Just maybe, just maybe…

"I-I'll call the police!" The woman threatened. The man just chuckled, slurring on his words.

"Heh, call 'em if you want! The police are my bitches. They're not gonna take you seriously," he said. 

Akira kept fighting with his brain.

Save, don't save.

Save, don't save… He didn't know.

Police sirens. The man scoffed at the sound, his movements becoming more eager. "Someone called the cops, huh? Get in the car!" He commanded the woman again, "Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!"

The man finally seemed to notice his presence. He whipped his head around to look at Akira and the young boy just nervously bit at his bottom lip. "What're you lookin' at? Get outta my face!" 

But Akira didn't move, standing there and glaring into his eyes. Akira didn't seem very threatening, but his gun-metal eyes spoke volumes. On the inside though, his heart was beating so hard it was going to pop. He was anxious, and his hands were shaking as his mirage cracked and crumbled. 

It pissed the drunkard off. "This ain't a show. Get lost, kid."

The man let go of the woman. She backed away slowly and watched as the man approached Akira. The drunkard towered over Akira's four foot-eleven height. The man was almost an entire foot taller than him, but he didn't care. The man turned his head back to sneer at the poor woman. "See? This is all because you're so damn slow! Get in the car!"

It was like the man was a broken record, repeating the same damn thing over and over again. Then, the woman tried to run away. The drunk man quickly whipped around and latched onto her wrist. "Please, help!" She pleaded with the young boy. 

Akira snapped at that moment.

Akira put a hand onto the man's shoulder, and he turned around to face the boy again at an incredible speed. The drunkard stumbled on his feet, his legs crisscrossing as he ultimately fell to the ground, and his head smashing onto the pavement below. Akira went rigid. That was definitely a solid thump on the ground he heard and a pained groan radiated from the man’s form.

The woman covered her mouth in shock and Akira suddenly didn't feel as cocky like he did before.

"Damn brat… I'll sue!" He said, clumsily getting up on his feet, a hand on his head. His forehead had a single splotch of blood on it. Akira was frozen. The woman looked at Akira's stunned expression and turned her head toward the bald man, her voice shaking.

"If you keep this up… Then I'll report about the money! Is that fine with you?!" The girl told him. 

The man just growled at her, "All I have to say is that you did it on your own, and it's over."

"But…" The woman said, losing all of her previous confidence. "I just did as I was told…"

"Who do you think I am?" He threatened the girl. She backed away, a weak and shaky voice as she moaned pitifully.

"No…"

"Hey, make this statement to the cops," he continued. "'This kid suddenly attacked me.' Got it?" Akira opened his mouth at the words this man just uttered. Attacked him?  _ Attacked him? _ "If you even try to say anything else, you know what'll happen to you, right?"

"Huh? But—" She was on the verge of sobbing. Akira grit his teeth together. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack and pass out.

"You fell on your own!" Akira burst out, anger consuming him. He had never felt this much hatred for one person. This wasn't fair, but then again, nothing was ever fair to him in this life.

"Shut up! You're done for…" The drunkard slurred, vehemently pointing his finger at Akira. Akira just stood there meekly, losing all sense of respect for himself. He was so stupid, so useless, so disgusting— nothing ever went right whenever he appeared. "You're gonna learn what happens when you cross me…" The man continued, poison dripping from his lips with every single syllable.

Akira saw two officers walking up from behind the man before reaching them. One of them was stockier while the other was more burly, a bit on the hefty side.

"Excuse me, folks. We received a complaint about an argument here. Is something the matter?" The burly police officer asked. The drunkard looked at the police officer and the cop jumped when their eyes met. "O-oh! It's you, sir."

"So, what happened? Explain it to the good officer," the man instructed the woman. She bit her lip before softly saying words that would change Akira's life forever. Akira didn't know what to do, his mind practically shut down as he saw what was happening. It was almost like an out of body experience, the words registering in his brain but at the same time going through one ear and out the other.

"…That young man suddenly attacked him… He shoved this gentleman to the ground and this man… Got injured…"

Akira… Akira felt nothing. 

Akira felt nothing when he should be feeling something at this point, but time had stopped. His breathing was labored and his eyes were unfocused. A headache, he had a really bad headache—

"…It's as she says," the man lied. "Also… make sure you deal with this so my name isn't mentioned at all. You understand what that means, correct?" 

"Y-yes, sir! Hey, cuff 'em!" The burly cop told the lanky police officer, who quickly unclasped the handcuffs on his side and sputtered. 

"U-understood!"

Akira felt the coldness of metal encase his wrists as his short stature was practically shoved into the police car. Akira gazed on with wide eyes at the man's face, a smirk forming on the other’s lips as the woman beside him covered her mouth, her eyes full of guilt. 

Akira was right. 

Wishful thinking to save other people would only end up with you being eaten alive.

The mask that he had finally ditched in an act of kindness enveloped his face again. It was made of steel, never to break again. His real self isn't useful. Nobody would like him if he acted like himself, so he shouldn't.

He was in a jail cell for a week before the trial began. His parents didn't bother to splurge on a good attorney, but it wouldn't matter in the end. They lost. Akira lost everything. He was put on leave for his company, expelled from his school, his scholarships, his future— 

Everything he'd been working up to was gone. Days, weeks, months, years, everything suddenly crumbled to the ground in a single day.

A sharp pain spread across his cheek, almost knocking him down to the ground. He grit his teeth and didn't make a single sound. As soon as he got home, as soon as the doors were closed, of course they would do something like this.

"You fucking bitch! What were you thinking?! Do you know what'll become of our family because of you?!" His mother screamed at him. Akira grit his teeth, knowing that nothing he said would excuse him; but he tried anyways.

If the strong only live in this world, that means he's weak. He's waiting to be eaten alive.

"M-mother, I-I'm sorry—," Akira said to her. His mother went to hit him again, her nails extending outwards as she scratched Akira across his face, lines of blood trailing down his face. 

"Why did I give birth to you!? You useless child— you're a curse upon this family!"

"I'm sorry— I'm sorry, please,  _ please _ forgive me—" Akira shook in fear, holding onto his wounded cheek. His father stepped closer and closer to Akira. The boy's legs were shivering as he slowly scooted away from him. And then he tried to run upstairs, the creaking of the wood protesting as he tried flying up all of them. It didn't work, his dad grabbing onto his ankle when he made it five steps up the stairs and dragged him down, his body slamming down on the edges of the wooden staircase.

Akira was screaming and kicking at his father but nothing worked. One punch to the face shut him up effectively as his father straddled him, holding him down as he kept punching him— Akira couldn't breathe. 

He couldn't breathe, why couldn't he breathe?

"…Ahhh—! Urk…!" Akira choked out, his father's hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing it with all of his strength. 

Black spots formed around him. His mother was fuming, not interfering with what was happening at all. And then his father let go of him right at the last second, Akira choking on the oxygen he desperately needed. His father got off of him, giving him one last kick to the stomach before declaring to him, "You're leaving in one week. You're staying in your room the entire time. If I see you outside, you're fucking dead."

Akira was stuck in that room for a whole week. When it came to April 1st, Akira laughed. Even his birthday seemed to be a joke, like he wasn't supposed to exist in the first place. It felt like he was set up only to fail over and over again. During this time, his agency had announced that he was taking an 'extended vacation.' The entire week he was given was used for his special situation to clear out scandals and garbage.

Akira struggled to do anything while injured in his room. He doused himself in ice water to get rid of the bruises faster. He applied creams and chugged down pills to get rid of the pain. He also dyed his hair from white to black, per request from his defense lawyer.

"…I'm so tired…" Akira whispered, his eyelids slowly falling up and down. He stayed awake though, punishing himself for doing something so stupid. He put fingers to the corners of his mouth and pulled them upwards, creating the fakest smile he had ever made. What he told himself was useless. "Get it together, get it together…"

He was so hungry. He was so tired. He didn't want to think anymore, but his thoughts were too loud. They told him to keep living, that he was going to be all right, that everything was going to pass over and he'll be free. But… he didn't feel like it.

He was sixteen now. Sixteen years of his life. Akira weakly hummed to himself, closing his eyes and inviting the darkness. He didn't even know why he celebrated his birthday. Why celebrate it when nobody else actually cares?

Akira was stupid. Once probation is over, once he returns home… he doubts he'll live long.

* * *

His parents walked him to the train station, plastic smiles on their faces.

"Be safe, Yejun. We'll miss you… Make sure to call us every once in a while, okay?" His mom smiled, her hands overlapping each other, her red nails fiddling with her glitzy dress. 

"Of course," he lied.

The speakers announced that his ride was coming. He adjusted the straps on his bag and sighed out, about to turn away from his parents before his father clasped a hand on his shoulder. Akira froze, meeting his father's intense gaze. Those same gun-metal eyes stared back at him and Akira's eyes widened as his father slipped something into his hand.

"It's a glasses case. There's a pair inside; wear them. During your entire stay there, you better stay out of trouble. Be invisible and don't cause a scene.  _ Got it?" _ His dad told him. 

Akira was shivering, but replied, "Y-yes, sir."

The train arrived at its station with an announcement, the doors opening as the people around them stepped inside. Akira took out the glasses and slipped them onto his face, the black frames fitting onto his face perfectly. Akira ditched the many piercings he had on since his parents told him to, not wanting him to look even more like a delinquent.

The glasses hid his eyes, his fluffy and wavy hair overlapping and covering them even more. 

His eyes, his obscenely long eyelashes, himself. 

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, so it'd be best to not show it.

He silently stepped inside the train along with a few other people, sitting down on one of the seats and turning his head slightly outside of the window to see his parents. His eyes widened when he saw their disappointing and hate-filled gazes meet his own. He whipped his head back around, keeping his eyes on his hands and taking deep breaths.

He still hadn't eaten that much, but… Akira didn't feel hungry anymore.

As the train left the station, Akira's body jolted at the sudden movement, and he took a deep breath. He was leaving the pain of his parents, the pain of his hometown, the pain of his entire childhood. But, he was still sad. Akira stared out of the window blankly now that he was no longer in view of his parents, his eyes lacking any light.

…He had left behind his true heart a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey, this chapter was beta read by [berryfartsart!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryfartsart/pseuds/berryfartsart) check them out they're very pretty and amazing :)))


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming to Tokyo itself is crazy. Now coming to Tokyo, having weird dreams about ruin and rehabilitation, and your new school turning into a castle? Completely and utterly insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **ADDITIONAL WARNINGS/INFORMATION:**  
>  Sexualities for this story _(will probably change later on in the story, specifically akechi):_  
>  Akira- Queer _(likes both genders but never initiates or agrees to be in relationships/always rejects people because he doesn't think he's good enough-)_  
>  Ryuji- Bicurious  
> Morgana- Polysexual  
> Ann- Bisexual  
> Yusuke- Pansexual  
> Makoto- Queer  
> Futaba- Demisexual  
> Haru- Bisexual  
> Akechi- Queer _(generally unattracted, probably in the grey area on the ace spectrum)_  
>  KaSUMI- Bicurious
> 
> -I'll be skipping out scenes that either don't include Akira, they don't really change from the canonical scenes, or is generally unimportant.

The train rocked back and forth, Akira’s eyes launching wide open. He rubbed the sleep out of them and glanced nervously around. It was the first time he's taken the train. Usually, when he'd come to Tokyo, he either took a bus or had someone from his agency come pick him up.

The change of scenery was unfamiliar, but it was uninviting. The rays of daylight poured in from the windows and caressed him while he was taking a nap.

While Akira tried to not think about it, the scene played back again. The man lying to the police, manipulating the woman, Akira being shoved into the back of a police officer’s car, the bruises on his face that Akira had to expertly cover with makeup— His life had seemed to change in mere moments. As soon as he walked into that commotion, he should've known he was a goner, but Akira was foolish and stepped into a situation when he shouldn't have. He should've stayed complacent and walked past, but he didn't.

Akira overheard some high school girls talking and listened in on the conversation, acting as a mere bystander and like he wasn't eavesdropping.

"What? A mental shutdown?" The long-haired girl exclaimed loudly to her friend. The other girl smiled and nodded her head up and down, showing her friend the screen on her phone.

"It's true!" She cajoled, pointing and scrolling through the news article in front of her.

"To a person though? Heh, that's gotta be a joke! You really love all of that occult stuff, don't you?" They both laughed together. 

Friends, huh? Akira hoped that while he was here he could make some.

_ "No," _ Akira shook his head,  _ "I can't make friends. I won't make the same mistake as last time…" _

He's suddenly reminded of the money he stored away and quickly rummaged through his bag, unveiling a large stack of yen sitting in one of the side pockets. It was his secret stash of money that he had stored inside one of the vents back home. Before he left, he had shoved all of his earnings into his bag and was just  _ relieved _ that nobody stole it while he took a power nap.

His departure from the train and the actual arrival into the city itself was… jarring. He realized that, despite the fact at how often he frequents Tokyo, it's always for work-related reasons. He kept his phone out with the GPS, navigating his way through the large crowds was a lot more confused than he thought he'd be.

He ended up in a large crossing, a mass of people talking, walking, and of different ages and sizes. There were also a handful of foreigners walking around with smiles on their faces, some holding up small areas of traffic to take some pictures, earning dirty looks from passersby. Akira was smack dab in the center of the crossing when his phone suddenly blipped. He looked down at it in confusion to see a weird app with a glowing red eye pop up on it, covering the middle of his screen.

The eye suddenly grew, covering half of the screen now. He huffed, furiously tapping on it to make it go away, but it stayed on the screen. He continued to spam away at the screen, using both of his thumbs to press down rapidly, yet nothing happened. 

Well, until something  _ did. _

"Huh…?" Akira voiced out, looking at his surroundings only to see everyone frozen. 

_ What? _

Was this some sort of elaborate prank where he was the only person not in on it? But wait— some of them are in the middle of a walking stance. That's impossible…

He looked around. Everybody really  _ was _ frozen in time. No voices, no footsteps, just complete silence. It was unsettling as all hell. Akira could hear his heart pound as he almost snapped his neck to turn the other direction. He spotted something in the distance, a large mass of huge flames going up at the back of the crowd. It formed into some kind of figure, Akira tensing up as he watched it grow stronger, practically growing out wings.

A face, a red flamed face and then… he saw himself. 

Eyes. 

_ Yellow eyes. _

And then it stopped. 

Akira had sweat dripping down his forehead as the scene around him continued; everyone pretending like nothing had happened.

_ "…I'm going insane. I'm definitely hallucinating _ — _ Yeah, that's right. I'm completely gone… Haha…" _ Akira told himself, a hand rubbing over his face in awe and exhaustion. Everyone continued normally, so that means nobody else saw it. It was just him. Just ignore it and act invisible.

He looked back down at his phone, the odd app still right there. Akira deemed it as a cursed app and he would purge the hell out of it. He dragged it into his phone’s trash can without hesitation. 

Did his mental state  _ worsen? _ Is he this bad now? 

_ Ignore it, _ just ignore it…

He was in Yongen-Jaya now, walking out of the subway station and surveying the quaint area. It sort of resembled his hometown, but it was a lot more… gross, to put it simply. The buildings were old, cracked, unpolished, and not very expensive. It was the complete opposite of the high-end neighborhood he resided in previously.

_ "Sakura Sojiro, Sakura Sojiro… Now where to find him…" _ He wondered to himself, trying to find the address of the place. Akira ended up consulting a police officer since he didn't want to rely on his phone too much after what had happened. The man bitterly gave the boy directions, but they had worked nonetheless.

He arrived at the house, the nameplate in bold kanji spelling out 'Sakura.' This  _ had _ to be his new caretaker’s place. He rang the doorbell once. 

No response. 

Akira then rang it twice. 

Nothing. 

He quickly gave up when he realized nobody was home.

_ "He has to be somewhere else… I doubt that he's in the house…" _ Akira sighed.  _ "Where is he…?" _

"Looks like no one's home."

Akira whipped his head around to see a delivery man. Akira couldn't tell if he was talking to him or himself, or maybe it was both? "Oh, yeah… Sakura-san's usually at his café around this time. Well, Leblanc's in the back alley, so I should make my other deliveries first…"

Akira didn't bother to pay attention to the rest of his mumblings and went off, walking towards the back alley. He came across Leblanc, the words 'curry & coffee' imprinted on the red and white awning. He walked in to see an elderly couple sitting at a booth and a pink-shirted man on one of the stools, looking down at a newspaper, the TV playing in the background. He could only assume that he was Sakura Sojiro, but he didn't say anything.

"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it!" The talk show host on the television exclaimed,  "The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up."

"Oh, how frightening…" The elder man whimpered. 

His wife turned to him and replied, "What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?"

Akira was paying more attention to the man in the apron. 

"And down is… the name of a shellfish used in pearl farming." The man muttered to himself.

"…Saltwater pearl oyster. Or it could be a freshwater river mussel, both of them produce pearls…" Akira told the man. The man suddenly realized he was there, an eyebrow crooking up as he went back down to his paper, seeing a pen move and write in the word 'oyster.' Akira gave a confident smirk even though the man brushed off his appearance.

"Oh, right. Guess they did say you'd be here today. I should've expected it, yet I'm still surprised. I thought you would've had your hair dyed and your ears all pierced," the man remarked. 

Akira's lips pressed into a thin line, embarrassed by the statement. At least his suspicions were confirmed— This was Sakura Sojiro.

The elderly couple stood up from their seats and the old man said, "We'll be going now. The payment's on the table." Sojiro thanked them for coming, the old man saying something that made Akira also want to look at him weirdly, but he kept a blank expression.

"This place is in the back alley, so there are no worries of a car crashing in here."

"A what now?" Sojiro gawked, his eyes wide at the old man. 

The old man continued, "There's been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here."

"It's none of my concern," Sojiro replied simply, seeming a bit uninterested in the topic. The old man just left, saying he'd see him next time as the couple went out the door, the bell above jingling as they disappeared from view.

As soon as they were gone, Sojiro groaned. "Ughh… Four hours just for a single cup of joe." He looked to the newly arrived teenager next to him. "So, you're Akira?"

"H-hm? Oh, uh, y-yeah. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me," Akira spoke, bowing down at a perfect ninety-degree angle before standing back up, his back and posture eerily straight.

"…Uh-huh. I'm Sakura Sojiro. You'll be in my custody over the next year," he told him. "I was wondering what you'd look and act like when you arrived, but it looks like you went through a complete transformation. You've got my hands full, kid."

"Sorry…" Akira murmured, picking at his hangnails. He was a troublemaker in all aspects to this man… 

Sojiro huffed at his apology. "Anyways, have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other and— Well, not that that matters… Follow me."

Sojiro walked up the stairs, Akira following right behind him to see a large and dusty attic with a bed shoved to the far back. He didn't want to hear what Sojiro had to say since he sort of inferred what was going to come out of his mouth.

"This is your room. I'll at least give you sheets for your bed."

Akira tried to hide his slightly sour expression, but in all honesty, it wasn't that bad…  _ right? _

"Hm? You look like you wanna say something," Sojiro mentioned to him. 

Akira smiled, lying straight through his teeth, "Ah, no… It's just, um…  _ big _ for a high school student like me."

"It's on you to clean up the rest. I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble." Akira cringed at the prospect of being kicked out. No, no, no— he didn't want to be homeless! "Now then… I got the gist of your situation. You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right? That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?"

"And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your old high school. The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents also approved," Sojiro explained to him. He knew already, but being told everything straight to him was like a punch to the face. "In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass."

Akira didn't need him to explain the entire thing when he already knew he was a pain…

"It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know. Also, it's best to keep your other identity a secret. If people were to find out someone like you is on probation, you're going to suffer," Sojiro told him.

"Th-that's why I'm currently on leave, and why I'm not wearing anything extra… I'm hiding as best as I can," Akira told him.

"Then I expect you to behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted. If you cause any problems, you'll be sent straight to juvie," Sojiro told him.

"Y-yes, sir. I'll try not to cause you any trouble for the year. It lasts until next spring, right?" Akira responded, his gaze glued to the ground. Sojiro nodded.

"We'll be going to Shujin tomorrow. We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there."

"A-ah, Shujin Academy, right? Is the education there up to par…? I haven't heard much about it, besides their volleyball team…" Akira queried him. He's been stuck at Kyunin Savant for so long that he almost completely forgot that there were other high schools out there. None of them would ever compare to Kyunin though, the difference in the student body and education is too vast. Sojiro groaned.

"You can ask them when we're there. There's rarely a place that'll accept someone like you, you know? What a waste of my Sunday…"

"…I'm sorry to inconvenience you, sir," Akira apologized. Sojiro merely quirked an eyebrow up at him, before telling him that his luggage had arrived a while ago. Akira's eyes landed on a cardboard box and sighed, knowing that his parents probably sent him almost nothing.

After Sojiro left for downstairs, Akira stretched his limbs out and looked around at the mess that is now his room. He unpacked the cardboard box to see some clothes— usually the ones he wears to the dance studio for practice— other daily necessities, but almost little to nothing else.

"I can't believe they sent these, though…" Akira moaned out in disbelief, picking up a small jewelry box filled with ear piercings, rings, necklaces, chokers, anything you could think of. "I'm  _ not _ going to be wearing these…"

Akira decided to change into something more comfortable, slipping on grey sweatpants and a tank top, stretching a bit before slapping his cheeks with both hands, trying to find the will to clean up this dusty old place.

Once he started, he refused to stop. The time quickly passed by, and he was exhausted by the end of it. Akira thought he did a pretty good job, it was at least mostly usable now but he was pretty sure he'd be inhaling dust the entire night.

He sat down on his now covered bed and sighed, before hearing a familiar set of footsteps coming up the stairs, causing Akira to jump up off his bed before fully relaxing and standing straight.

"What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn't think you were cleaning." Sojiro marveled in disbelief, but he did look a bit proud. Akira's lips upturned a little at his expression. The older man took a gander at the area with a smile on his face. "Actually, the place doesn't look too bad. Though, it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy."

"Why don't you go to bed for tonight? You don't have anything better to be doing, right?" Sojiro asked him. "I'm going to close up shop and get out of here myself. I won't be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up late, you got it?"

Akira sighed, deciding he should try and sleep. It wasn't like he was going to any competitions or needed to earnestly practice for anything. He flopped onto the bed and cuddled into the sheets. Akira didn't need to eat, he wasn't that hungry anyway…

As soon as he was left alone in his bed, the incident played back in his mind again. Walking through that dark street, the sounds and protest of the woman. When he came back to reality, his phone began to beep. He grabbed the phone in his pocket, the bright light of his screen burning off his eye sockets.

_ "Is… Is that the cursed app again? That's really creepy…" _ He huffed, swiftly dragging it into the trashcan and putting it on the cardboard box next to his bed, plugging it up to a phone charger.

The lights were off, leaving him to be by himself in the dark with his intrusive thoughts. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he acted as Kurusu Akira and not as Moon Yejun. From that point on, he was no longer Moon Yejun to the world, he's Kurusu Akira. The thought frightened him. An entire year to really be himself…

It was an entire year that he could do what he wanted to do, but the first time he let his mask fall, it ended in disaster… He couldn't let something like that happen again. He didn't want to feel that  _ pain _ again…

Akira closed his eyes and removed all of the thoughts in his head. For an entire year, he is Kurusu Akira. But he wouldn't enjoy it: he wasn't allowed to.

* * *

He didn't expect his dreamland to look like a prison cell. Well, he didn't even expect to  _ have this _ dream at all.

Chains were around his wrists, but they weren't uncomfortable. They sounded like metal clattering with each other and certainly looked like it, but it was more akin to the texture of felt, which completely threw off his senses. Akira sat up from the flat and uncomfortable prison bed, trying to walk closer to the cell door. He suddenly felt a tug around his foot, almost tripping over onto his face. Glancing down in confusion, he noticed a latch around his ankle preventing him from getting too close to the metal bars of his cell. Two girls with white hair and piercingly yellow eyes stood next to each other before moving the opposite direction from each other to reveal a man with a  _ ridiculously _ large nose. He caught Akira's attention and the boy was unable to look away. He didn't know if it was from the sheer absurdity of it or if he was trying to figure out why he had a nose like that.

"Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room," the man greeted. Akira just clenched his hands on the bars of the cell, trying to push and pull on them. He was having a fever dream, that  _ had _ to be it…

"So you've come to, Inmate," the small girl on the right spoke, the twin buns on her head bouncing. Akira flicked his gaze to her before the other one with the long braid in her hair decided to speak. 

"The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream."

"You're in the presence of our master! Stand up straight!" The bun haired one shouted at him, causing Akira to only sigh and look at what he assumed to be their 'master.'

"Welcome. I am delighted to meet your acquaintance," his deep voice sent shivers down Akira's spine, listening intently as the man continued to speak. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is only a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."

"I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well," Igor spoke. 

Akira closed his eyes for a good five seconds before opening them again, hoping that this was an illusion but the environment around him didn't change at all. 

Crazy, Akira was crazy. 

"I-Important matters? I-I'm sorry, but let me out—" Akira said before letting out a yelp of surprise when the girl on his right slammed down on the bars with a police baton, his hands slipping off of the clean and smooth metal rods. "Know your place, Inmate! Who do you think you're talking to?!"

"Still, this is a surprise…" Igor smirked. "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate."

"In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you," Igor continued. Akira latched onto the bars again, not comprehending anything. This was way too much information, what was going on…

"Ruin?" Akira questioned, fiddling with the bars. He felt uncomfortable within this cage.

Igor chuckled, "Haha, worry not. There is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated toward freedom… That is your only means to avoid ruin. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

"…Wait, what? I'm still not understanding, sir…" Akira told him. He had so many questions, so many questions that he knew would never be answered. This is just a weird dream, of course, it didn't make sense. Dreams  _ never _ make sense.

"Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation," he said. The two girls suddenly turned away from Igor and flipped to look at Akira in perfect synchronization. It was almost like they danced. "Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline, to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here."

"Hah! Try and struggle as hard as you like," Caroline barked haughtily. Akira backed away slightly, sort of terrified that she was going to slam the bars with her baton again.

"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators," Justine noted softly. They looked like twins, but they were complete polar opposites. It was easy to tell that Justine was the more shy and earnest person while Caroline was hot-headed. "…That is, if you remain obedient."

"I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion," Igor explained. The two warden twins flipped back around to face the strange man. "Now then, it seems the night is waning… It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…"

Igor gestured with his hand slightly and Akira almost jumped out of his skin when he heard an alarm ring, turning his head about to try and see where the sound was coming from. He was still so confused.

"Time's up," Caroline stated to him. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep."

Before he knew it, the scene faded into darkness.

* * *

If Akira had an explanation for the dream he just had, he'd be spiritually enlightened. He would've screamed if he was given the chance, but waking up in the early morning and yelling out of the window would probably get him murdered or arrested again. He quickly got dressed in Shujin Academy's uniform and evaluated himself in the downstairs bathroom mirror. It was unique and to be honest, it looked better than Kyunin Savant's.

"Looks like you're up," Sojiro said. He was wearing a mixture of pink and white. It looked classy but at the same time, it was sort of a fashion disaster. It was… special?

"Well then, let's introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district," he told him. Aoyama? Where was Aoyama? "It'll take a while to get there by train. The transfers are a real hassle, too. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go."

Akira sat up from his bed and dusted his uniform off, hearing the mumbling of Sojiro's discomforts, "Sheesh… Men aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat."

_ "Should I just be a girl then?" _ Akira seethed to himself, begrudgingly stepping into the front seat of the car.

When they finally arrived at Shujin Academy, he was met with a slightly dirty, concrete building. It was a complete contrast to Akira's school where practically everything was made out of marble and sparkled in the sun.

"Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right? Don't get me wrong, I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble," Sojiro practically pleaded with him. Akira nodded, staying silent and meek as they entered the school.

The principal seemed to be an interesting man and the person standing to his left (who seemed to be his homeroom teacher) was quiet.

"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. I looked into your history and it's surprising that a good student like you would cause this much trouble, but it doesn't excuse any of your actions," the principal explained to Akira as Sojiro speedily filled out the papers in front of him. "You're a unique case. As long as you don't cause any scandals for yourself or this school, you'll have a smooth student life. Just keep on your best behavior."

"Yes, sir," Akira responded quickly.

"Let it be known that if you're thrown out from this school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind." Akira swiftly nodded. He needed to take this seriously or else he was messed up for the entire year. "This is the teacher in charge of your class."

The teacher spoke up, "I'm Kawakami Sadayo. Here's your student ID." She told him, placing his ID on the desk. There was a pink flyer with it, which Kawakam hurriedly took back.

His student ID had most of his face covered. The glasses and his unruly hair helped that out. Akira should be fine throughout the year. He shoved it into his pocket as his teacher continued, "Be sure to read the school rules. Any violation will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause problems, I won't be able to protect you at all."

_ "I'm way ahead of you… I memorized the guidelines on my train ride to Tokyo… Not only that, but I should be able to take care of myself. Probably." _ Akira sighed. This school was more lenient when it came to his old school, but it was different because he had a criminal record. Things were gonna be tough…

"That is your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?" Kawakami asked him. Kobayakawa nodded. "Mmhmm, he is responsible for all of his actions."

Kawakami sighed, "But really though, why me? There should've been better candidates."

"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening."

"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to," Sojiro said after Kobayakawa was finished with his sentence. Kobayakawa switched his gaze to the man. "Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him. Don't let him cause any trouble outside…"

"Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he's in," Sojiro affirmed. Kawakam sighed again.

"Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom." 

As they were heading out, Sojiro spoke to Akira.

"Everyone's giving you the cold-shoulder. That's what having a criminal record does to you," he cautioned. "Turns out your past follows you wherever you go."

"I-I hope the good parts of my past follow too…" Akira admits, hoping that maybe his status, fame, and grades at Kyunin Savant will get him something that doesn't make him feel so horrible.

"Well, it ain't going to be easy kid. You might think this is gonna be a breeze, but you're overestimating yourself. If you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?"

"Y-yes, sir."

* * *

The drive back home was painful. Stupidly painful. The traffic was almost unbearable. Sojiro lectured him about his situation, saying that he was troublesome. Akira genuinely felt bad for the man, but he was already paid to take him in, so maybe he shouldn't…

The traffic apparently had happened because of a subway train derailing.

"Ugh, another accident? So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately," Sojiro explained to him. Akira wasn't caught up on the news. "In fact, there was a real nasty one just last month… It happened before you came here. If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen. Her parents have gotta be just…"

_ "Fifteen? That's about the same age as me…" _ Akira thought, suddenly feeling that the mood of the car was a bit sullen. The radio continued to speak about the ongoing incident. 

They arrived back at the cafe in the evening, which was appalling to Akira considering the fact that they started driving back during the daytime.

"Damn, to think there'd be that much traffic… What a waste of time. I wasn't able to open the cafe today…"

"Sorry about that…" Akira apologized. 

Sojiro scoffed at him, "What, you think you're responsible for causing a subway accident? Hahhh, whatever… Just head upstairs. I have something I need to give you."

Sojiro followed after him a minute later and handed him a journal to record his daily activities. It wasn't too bad, it was covered in black leather and was absurdly high quality. Sojiro's phone rang, and he left soon right after handing him the diary.

He had school tomorrow… As soon as he headed for the bed, he heard a ringing phone downstairs. Akira groaned but headed down the stairs anyway. The yellow rotary phone on the far end of the counter was screaming at him, the horrid noise stopping when he answered it.

"Hey, it's me," the voice over the line said.

"…Sakura-san?"

"I forgot to flip the sign to 'closed' when I left. It's too much trouble for me to come back just for that. Think you can do it for me?" He asked him.

"O-of course, sir. But if you mind me asking… Why did you call the public phone?" Akira asked. Sojiro surely had his phone number, it was in his records after all.

"It's a personal policy of mine not to save a guy's number in my phone. Either way, I'm glad you actually picked up. Anyway, I'll leave the shop sign to you," he stated.

"Ah, goodnigh—" The man hung up the phone before he could even finish his sentence. Akira fiddled with his bangs, brushing them to the sides of his face so he could see a bit better, walked outside, and flipped the sign.

He plopped onto his bed as soon as he came back inside, scrolling through his phone to see more information about what had happened. Akira cringed, watching the live footage of the subway train all mangled.

_ "Over eighty people were injured… That's terrible. This is probably gonna affect the timetables for tomorrow, though…" _ He thought as he switched his mindset over to the train lines. He had to transfer lines midway, which was a bit annoying.  _ "Wait a minute…" _

The app with an eye on it appeared once again. He quickly threw it into his phone’s garbage can yet again, looking through his data and files to check if there was anything wrong with his phone, but it was relatively the same.

_ "Are you serious? Again? Ugh, I'm too tired for this… I'll just deal with it in the morning." _ Akira thought, setting his phone aside as his eyelids started to feel heavy.

Akira woke up extra early the next morning and planned on getting there to class with plenty of time to spare to make a good impression on the staff. Waking up early always felt horrible because Akira was a night owl by nature. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, slipped his glasses on his face, and began walking down the stairs.

He was hit in the face with the aroma of curry, a plate filled to the brim with the stuff on the bar counter, along with a cup of coffee right next to it. Sojiro was standing behind the counter and turned to look at him

"So, you're actually going to school, huh? To be honest, you probably don't even need to go with how much knowledge you have crammed into your brain. Kyunin Savant Academy's number one… I'm surprised you even bother." Sojiro gestured to the seat in front of the curry plate. Akira sat down on the barstool, placing his bag off to the side. "Come on, eat up. Finish it before the customers start coming in."

Akira took the spoon into his hand and eyed the food curiously. "…Thank you," he said before digging in.

The first spoonful practically had him crying. It had been so long since he had some food, let alone  _ good _ food. The coffee was also amazing. He had a feeling the curry was supposed to be spicy but he wasn't feeling any of it. His genetics supported him when it came to that. The complex flavors and warmness filled his body but… Akira wasn't able to finish it all.

"What, you don't like it?" Sojiro asked him. Akira shook his head.

"N-not at all! It's really good, it's just that I have a small stomach… I usually don't eat a lot," Akira told him. Sojiro eyed him suspiciously. 

"Kid, you left three-fourths of the plate and coffee. At least half, all right?"

Akira sighed, listening to him as he swallowed down a few more bites of the food and drank the rest of his coffee. He got up off of the seat and bowed, thanking Sojiro for the meal. His stomach was full… maybe he should keep eating like that.

"Next time I want to see you eat all of it. That's a normal person's portion. Even though your body type probably says otherwise, you need to eat to grow strong. Don't go starving on me, all right? What would people say if I let a kid who lives in my café  _ starve?" _ Sojiro told him. 

Akira chuckled nervously. He poked his stomach, feeling the slight bulge of it from being full. It had been a long time since he last felt like that and it wasn't exactly the most pleasant feeling. He felt a little bit queasy, but it'd dissipate in due time.

"Yes, sir. I'll be heading out then," Akira called out, picking his bag up and hauling it over his shoulder.

"Ah, wait a second. Stop calling me sir, it makes me feel old. Sojiro. It's Sojiro, got it? Keep that in your mind, don't forget it. Also, flip the sign on the door for me, country boy," Sojiro told him. 

Akira sputtered back to him, "Y-yes sir, uh, Sojiro-san…"

The train ride was wild. Finding the train itself wasn't hard since he'd been in Tokyo frequently, but when it came to  _ boarding _ the train, it was a completely different experience. Akira was being pushed up against the wall of the subway train, his small body practically disappearing under the mass of the other passengers. How were there so many people crammed into one area? It was crazy. The rumors about the Tokyo subway were true…

Transferring was confusing, but he managed. He kept hearing whispers and chatterings about the derailment. The real problem was when he got out of the train station and there was rain pouring out of the sky. Akira went through his bag, only to moan pitifully. 

"I forgot my umbrella…"

He hid under a nearby canopy, looking down at his phone when he noticed that the same app he kept deleting was there again. He groaned moving his finger to delete it when a hooded figure moved under the cover with him. The stranger removed her hood, revealing her face.

_ "…She's gorgeous," _ Akira thought, unable to turn his eyes away as the girl brushed the water off of her uniform. Her blonde pigtails flowed down her shoulders, and she caught Akira gazing at her. She turned her head to him and smiled, looking down a little to meet his eyes. 

Akira suddenly wished he was taller. 

He quickly flicked his gaze away from her, trying to hide his red ears.

They both waited in the rain, quietly listening to the trickling sounds of water hitting the pavement and canopy as the sky didn't seem to clear up at all, grey clouds staying in an overcast state above them. Akira shoved his phone in his pocket, not hating the rain one bit if he could have an encounter with this beautiful girl. Cherry blossom petals fluttered to the ground, some acting as a boat as they floated on top of some rainwater puddling on the concrete.

A grey car pulled up in front of them suddenly, breaking the illusion as a man rolled down the window, his body clad in a blue tracksuit. The man leaned his head slightly out of the car window, facing towards the young girl beside Akira and calling out to her. "Good morning. Want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late."

Akira immediately got bad vibes from the man. He looked over at the girl beside him, reading from her facial expression and tense body posture that she wasn't exactly thrilled with the man’s offer. She looked nervous.

"Um, su—"

"Umm, e-excuse me, sir. I actually asked her to show me to my new class. I switched classes and I'm a bit confused… So sorry to bother you," Akira lied to the man. The girl looked at him with wide eyes before acting horribly, giving a wide and awkward fake smile to the teacher.

"U-uh, yeah! I said that I'd show him around… Sorry, Kamoshida-sensei."

Kamoshida suddenly frowned before turning it back into a grin. "Hey, no harm done. I'm glad you're assisting someone. How kind! I'll see you in class," the man boomed, rolling the window up and speeding off down the road.

"…Why did you say that?" The girl questioned Akira.

"O-oh, uh, you seemed a bit nervous around him… S-sorry, unless you actually wanted a ride from him. I-I'll make it up to you…!" Akira said to her. The girl shook her head.

"Oh, no! Not at all, thanks… I didn't really want to get in his car, either." She smiled at him. Akira scratched the back of his neck, knowing that his ears and neck were probably dusted in a bright red color. He did everything he could to make sure it didn't appear on his cheeks too, but he couldn't cover it. 

Akira suddenly heard splashing and loud steps come from behind and turned around to see a blonde-haired boy running up to the two of them.

"Holy shit! Thank god you didn't go with that pervy teacher, Takamaki. That 'effin pervert pisses me off," He wheezed, bent over on his knees and breathing heavily like he had just run a marathon.

"…Pervy teacher?" Akira questioned. The boy glared up at him, Akira freezing up as the boy stood up straight and towered over him.

"What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?"

"Huh? N-no, no, I'm just—"

"Hey, cut it out, Sakamoto! He saved me from that 'pervy teacher,'" Takamaki told him, latching onto his shoulder and pulling him away from Akira.

"Huh? Oh shit, really? Sorry, man," The boy quickly apologized to him. "That asshole Kamoshida… Who the hell does he think he is? The king of a castle?"

"Ah, sorry… I-I don't know who you're talking about. Uh, is it about the man in the car…?" Akira questioned. Takamaki looked at him weirdly.

"Huh? How do you not know him? You're a student here, aren't you?" She quizzed him. 

Sakamoto stared at him intently before saying out loud. "Holy shit! You're a second-year?! But you're so  _ short _ …"

Takamaki quickly slapped Sakamoto's arm. "That's  _ rude,  _ Sakamoto!"

"I-It's all right, I get that a lot! But, um, I'm a transfer student… That's why I don't know about him," Akira admitted. Sakamoto still apologized anyway, kicking his leg out.

"Transfer student, huh? But… you don't look like the guy…" Sakamoto muttered, inspecting his face closely.

"We're all the same grade! That's pretty nice, isn't it? Well, we should probably be heading out soon before the rain gets worse…" Takamaki said, shifting the conversation away from Akira. Sakamoto shrugged with a grin, shaking away what he was apparently confused about. He gestured with his hand, walking in front of the group.

"Follow me, then. I know a shortcut."

As soon as they took a step forward though, an overwhelming headache overcame them. All of them clutched onto their heads but Akira didn't say anything about it. Did he eat too much…?

"Ugh, damn this headache… I wanna go home," Sakamoto whined. Takamaki shared the same sentiments out loud and walked after the boy as he continued to lead the way onward to school. Akira followed both of them closely and trailed at the far back of the group.

The alleyway that Sakamoto pulled the two of them into was dark and dingy, but it seemed to cut straight through the area so it was quick. Sakamoto walked straight through a puddle that was in the middle of the alleyway and Takamaki stepped over it. Akira cringed at the thought of his socks getting wet, so he skipped over it.

Akira suddenly felt something… weird. He looked behind to see that nothing had changed, but Takamaki looked back at him, giving him a concerned look. "Huh? What's the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, uh, it's nothing…" Akira mumbled as she continued to walk in front of him.

"Wha—!" 

Akira quickly came over to where Sakamoto was yelling, only for Akira and Ann's eyes to widen at what they saw before them.

A castle. That was a freaking castle.

"H-huh? We didn't come the wrong way, right, Sakamoto?" Takamaki asked the other blond. 

Sakamoto breathed out. "Hell no! I take this route every day! This should be right, I didn't take a wrong turn."

"…I don't think the school should be a castle?" Akira said.

"No shit… But it says 'Shujin Academy' so that's gotta be it." Sakamoto pointed out. He was right, there was a sign right outside saying the school's name, but Akira still couldn't believe it, though.

"I mean, I guess we'll just have to go in and ask…" Takamaki gestured at the building before walking on ahead. Sakamoto shrugged, following her as they both headed in through the open door.

"W-wait, hold up! Ugh… Wait for me!" Akira ran after them as they entered the castle doors.

Red carpet spanned across the castle floors and a chandelier hung from above them on the ceiling. Akira had the feeling that whoever decorated was trying to make it look fancy but it just came off as eerie instead.

"Th-that's weird… Where's the school?" Sakamoto questioned. 

Takamaki had a look of disbelief on her face as well. "I'd like to know the same… What's going on here?" She took out her phone only to groan. "Out of service? Are you serious right now? Where did we end up at?!"

"I mean, the sign did say our school's name, right?"

"Y-yeah, it said the school's name. T-this is too strange…" Akira murmured nervously, responding to Sakamoto. They all jolted when they saw an iron-clad figure walk up to them, a sword and shield in hand.

"Geez, you freaked me out…" Sakamoto complained, body easing back into a relaxed state. 

Akira slowly began to back up, feeling his nerves start to yell at him in fear.

A soldier; that was a huge and  _ tall _ soldier. 

"Who're you? You a student? Man, your costume's impressive… Is that armor real?" Sakamoto continued questioning like this situation wasn't at all weird.

Sakamoto tried walking closer, but Akira hurriedly latched onto his arm to stop him from walking closer, Takamaki sticking close to Akira and putting a hand on his back. Akira was sweating, bullets of them dripped from his forehead. "T-the hell? Why're you grabbin' onto me?!"

"S-Sakamoto-san, I don't think that's a student…" Akira whimpered as another armored figure approached them. 

Sakamoto stiffened. 

"H-hey, wait a second— what's goin' on?!"

The soldiers started getting closer to them, circling around as if to block them off from any exits. 

"Oh my god, this is way too real— run, guys!" 

They started to book it for the entrance only for more soldiers to spawn out of nowhere; Akira fell on his bottom from surprise.

"Ugh, what's with these guys?!" Sakamoto exclaimed as Takamaki crouched next to Akira.

The next part happened so fast. Sakamoto was jabbed in the back with a shield and fell to the ground. Takamaki flew onto her feet, but she was caught in between two distressed people. 

"Sakamoto!"

Sakamoto groaned, "Oww… Y-you're gonna break my bones, dammit! The hell you think you're— GAAHH—!"

The soldiers slowly caved in on them, Akira feeling a blunt object smash into the back of his neck, his body falling forwards as he slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

"…'ey… Hey! Wake up!"

Akira jolted awake, the sound of Sakamoto's voice in his ear helping to shake off the last bit of his drowsiness. He slowly lifted himself off the sorry excuse of a bed he was laying on, blinking rapidly to fix his blurry vision.

Akira put a hand up to his head. 

Everything ached. It felt like he'd been pummeled with a shield— oh wait.

"W-where… Where are we?" Akira croaked in disbelief, looking at the area around him. 

A jail cell they were in a jail cell. The walls were cracked and disgusting, the metal bars slightly rusted, and there were even some chains hanging from the walls. Takamaki had her back laying against a wall, tapping one of her feet impatiently while Sakamoto stood right in front of him, staring at Akira with concern.

"Are you all right…?" Takamaki asked him. 

Akira groaned, feeling like a car had run into him. He was still a bit drowsy, pushing up the glasses that were miraculously still attached to his face and sighed. "Y-yup… What about you guys?"

"Everything's burning…" Takamaki groaned, crossing her arms and lowering her head down in dejection. She rubbed the back of her neck with a dusty hand. The area around her neck was swollen and red.

"I'm pretty fine, more or less," Sakamoto stretched, rolling his arms back before he shoved his hands in his pockets. Akira stood up from the bed and dusted himself off. "It looks like this ain't a dream… Gahh, what's goin' on?!" Sakamoto spat. The boy ran up to the metal bars and slammed on them violently. Akira was pretty sure that if he tried hard enough, Sakamoto could probably tear one off with how old they seemed.

"Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!" Sakamato shouted. He came back defeated and slightly pissed off. "Dammit! Where are we? Is this some kinda movie set?!"

"If it's a movie set, it's a pretty crappy one…" Takamaki pushed herself off the wall.

"H-how much time has passed between us getting beaten and me waking up…?" Akira slurred to her, still getting used to the sore feeling in his muscles and the pulsing ache on the back of his head. 

Takamaki sighed, fiddling with the hair of her ponytail. "No idea… I woke up first and I had to practically slap Sakamoto awake."

Suddenly, a scream. It was full of pain and agony and Akira stiffened up, turning his head to where it came from. They all headed for the door, trying to look around the bars to locate the source of it.

"Th-the hell was that just now?" Sakamoto said, gripping the bars, his hands almost a sickeningly white color from the pressure. The anonymous voice kept pleading and screaming, a mixture of 'no' and 'leave me alone’ echoing throughout the dungeon they were in. It was all so disturbing to hear. 

"Whoa… whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—"

"Oh my god, oh my god… I'm so not into this— this  _ has _ to be a joke…" Takamaki said as she backed away from the bars. The two boys followed her example.

"There's  _ gotta _ be a way out. C'mon, let's start searchin'," Sakamoto told the two of them as he ran to the back of the cell room. Takamaki began running her fingers across the tiles of the walls and looked in every nook and cranny. Akira was left with the door, wishing he had something to pick the lock with. His eyes landed on Takamaki's hairpin but it didn't seem strong or long enough to break them out of here.

"I can't believe this— Hey, transfer student, you find anything yet?" Sakamoto asked him.

"N-not quite…" Akira quipped, straining himself by standing on his toes and trying to reach above the door of the cell, "A-also, I… have… a  _ name, _ you know?"

"Oh right, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet… I'm Takamaki Ann. This isn't the best place to be introducing ourselves, but I'll be counting on you guys to help me out of here. Call me Ann," she said, looking up to meet Akira's gaze.

"Oh shit, you're right. I'm Sakamoto Ryuji, but just call me Ryuji," he said.

"Oh, um, I'm Kurusu Akira. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. W-well uh, not exactly a  _ pleasure _ to meet you in this circumstance, b-but you get what I mean," he rambled to them casually. 

Ann smiled at him. "Akira, huh? Well, I guess we might as well use our first names if we're gonna be stuck here with each other… we're friends now after all. At least, I hope so!"

"Wait… you hear that?" Ryuji asked suddenly, his voice going quiet to listen closer. Akira's ears perked up, hearing the clear sounds of footsteps coming their way. The three of them raced over to the door, guards approaching to tower over all of them as one of them, who seemed to be the captain, stepped forward to speak.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is 'unlawful entry.' Thus, you will be sentenced to death."

"Say what?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Another distorted voice announced itself, parting away the soldiers as if he were Moses and they were the Red Sea.

"No one's allowed to do as they please in  _ my _ castle," The voice chortled. It was…

"W-wait, is that Kamoshida?!" Ann exclaimed. Kamoshida(?) grinned, a golden crown on top of his greasy hair, a royal red robe wrapped around his body, and his hairy legs showing beneath it all.

"I thought it would be some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto. Not only that, but you even brought a fake princess. How admirable, but you're trying to disobey me again. Haven't you learned your lesson? But then…" The king's eyes turned to Akira, who stiffened at his yellow eyes. "You brought a little pipsqueak as backup. You're so pitiful you brought  _ that?  _ You really can't do anything by yourself, can you, Sakamoto?"

"This ain't funny you asshole!" Ryuji yelled, pulling on the bars of the little cage they were trapped in. Kamoshida's face distorted in anger, raising his voice and yelling at them. Akira almost put his hands over his ears at how loud he was.

"Is  _ that _ how you speak to a king?! It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all." Kamoshida snorted as Ryuji glared at him. "Not only did you sneak into my castle, but you also committed the crime of insulting me— the king! The punishment for that is  _ death." _

Arrogant. Arrogant, loud, and everything that felt so grotesque. He even  _ looked _ like a pervert. So many weird things have been happening as soon as Akira arrived here. Is he  _ really _ going insane?

"It's time for an execution! Take him out!"

"R-Ryuji-san!" Akira called out as the gate opened, guards pouring in and huddling around Ryuji who was stuck at the back of the cell. Ann and Akira were far away from him, unable to push through the solid steel guards.

"…Goddammit!" Ryuji said, his hands clenched into fists so hard that they were shaking.

And then Ryuji pushed one to the ground with sheer brute strength. It clattered as it fell and Akira flinched from the loud sound. "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!" Ryuji told them.

It was too late. A guard already encapsulated the boy and slammed his arm right into Ryuji's stomach. The boy collapsed onto the ground and painful groans escaped his mouth as he cradled the spot he was injured.

Instinct kicked in and the person that Akira was behind the mask came out. He was running towards Ryuji, pushing and pulling on the guards to make an opening to help him. He didn't know why he was trying so hard to save him, but if Ryuji got hurt, Akira would  _ never _ be able to forgive himself. Ann screamed passionately, trying to help knock the soldiers down with Akira by ramming into them but  _ nothing _ was working. They weren't strong enough.

"Just go! Get outta here! These guys are serious!" Ryuji yelled at them. 

Akira shook his head back and forth while Ann yelled at him, "We aren't leaving you here, you idiot!"

"Oh? What heartless friends you are, maybe you should just run away." Kamoshida grinned. 

Ryuji grunted, "T-they ain't friends… Hurry up and go already you dumbasses!"

Kamoshida took in the sight of Akira, stiff and unmoving. "What's the matter? Too scared to run away? Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time… I'll just focus on this one's execution."

Kamoshida went up to Ryuji, guards holding him up by his arms as the king pulled his arm back and made a large smile, his canines showing as he slammed his fist down on Ryuji's face. "Take this!"

The man kept punching him, punching him and punching him, Ryuji's groans and cries of pain getting more muffled and sloppy as the hits kept on coming. "Lowly scum! Useless pest!" Kamoshida yelled, the blonde-haired boy slumping to the ground, a complete mess.

He spits on Ryuji, bruises starting to form on his face as Ann screamed louder, trying to kick down the guards. Akira was blanking out. What the hell should they do? What the hell  _ can _ they do? There was nothing in this damn cell, the only option was to run but— he just  _ couldn't. _

_ "This is the same situation. You're putting your nose in a situation you should just run away from, but _ — _ but…" _ Akira thought as Kamoshida continued picking on Ryuji, taking out little bits of his sanity and strength to diminish the boy.

"…Hmph. Where'd your energy from earlier go?" Kamoshida scoffed as a guard picked the boy up by the back of his collar and threw him back onto the ground, Ryuji sliding against the stone-cold floor, "A peasant like you isn't worth beating."

"I'll have you killed right now," Kamoshida threatened as Ryuji groaned weakly, his eyes snapped shut from the pain. Akira couldn't take it anymore, a voice he had only experienced once from that night came out of his mouth. One more time, just one more time… he needed to take off his mask.

_ "Stop it! _ Have you lost your mind?!" Akira screamed. 

Kamoshida looked over to Akira, a glint in his eyes. "Hmm? What? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am." The man walked up to him, stooping down to his height before gritting his teeth.

The man was staring right into his eyes, the eyes he so cleverly hid with his glasses and hair. Akira knew what was coming and crossed his arms over his body.

"That look in your eyes irritates me!" Kamoshida jeered, kicking him right in the chest. Akira's head slammed into the wall behind and his bottom hit the floor. Akira made a strained gasp, as Ann practically ran towards Kamoshida, a fist held up as she aimed it towards his nose.

"You  _ bastard _ — _! _ Wha— Hey let  _ go _ of me!" Ann yelled as she was held back by a guard, lifting her into its arms as she flopped around, banging her fists on the arms of the hunk of metal. Her hands were red from how hard she was slamming down on them.

"Hold them there… After the peasant, it's the pipsqueak's turn to die," Kamoshida commanded, turning his gaze back to Ryuji. Akira tried to sit up before the guards could see him, but as soon as he tried to run forward he was pushed back harshly.

"No… No, I don't wanna die…!" Ryuji called out weakly as Kamoshida grinned at him with joy. He was taking pleasure in this; the horrible scum laughed at the teen's pain.

A voice. A voice that only Akira could listen to. Everything became dark and voided as he paid attention to it.

**_"This is truly an unjust game… Your chances of winning are almost none."_ ** A blue butterfly… A blue butterfly flew past him, his eyes wide as it continued speaking,  **_ "But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…" _ **

The soft and delicate voice was exchanged with a rough sounding voice. It was deeper than his own and it exuded confidence. It spurred him on. **_"What's the matter? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking them to save yourself? Death awaits if you do nothing."_** Where was it coming from? Who was speaking to him? Akira didn't know, but the voice reminded him of himself— But it was stronger, the image of himself that he longed to be but would never reach.

 ** _"Was your previous decision a mistake then?"_** It chided him. A mistake… the incident that happened was a mistake…

It might've been, but… but— he felt good about what he did that time. Even if the aftermath made him want to die, even if he couldn't live with himself… the moment he took off his mask was when he felt truly alive.

A guard lifted Ryuji by the collar, the suit of armor pointing his sword straight as his throat. Ryuji could barely move, subject to Kamoshida's tyranny. Akira started struggling and Ann was screaming, but nothing was working… except that Akira felt different. Even if he regretted it, he wanted to use his time in Tokyo to know what it feels to be alive… To be  _ himself…! _

**_"Very well… I have headed your resolve."_ **

Pain. 

Pain, pain, pain, it spiked through his head, and sweat started to bead at Akira's hairline as he thrashed around. It hurt, oh my gosh it  _ hurt _ —

**_" Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I… Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!"_ ** Drool dripped down the sides of his mouth. He could swear that he was about to cry. It had been years since a tear had fallen from his eyes, but this was the closest it's ever been. Akira was screaming, a loud and unruly screech building up from his stomach and releasing outwards.  **_" Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"_ **

"Execute him!" Kamoshida commanded. Akira breathed heavily as a voice that didn't belong to him spoke.

_ "That's enough," _ Akira said. 

It wasn't Akira's soft and kind tone of voice. It was dark, menacing even. It was a complete contrast as Kamoshida turned his head around, a mix of anger and disbelief swirling in those neon yellow eyes.

"What was that…?" He huffed as the guard dropped Ryuji down, the boy’s knees slamming against the concrete. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine!" The man gestured to the guard next to him.

"AKIRA!" Ann yelled out, but he could already feel his glasses shattering as the soldier rammed his shield into his face, Akira almost falling onto the floor, but keeping his balance at the last moment.

He was held captive. A prisoner, as spears crossed his neck, a sword raised high as Ryuji tried to support himself on the wall behind him. Ann, with her final bit of strength, pushed out of the guards' grasp and ran to support Ryuji, looking on at Akira.

"…Nothing… W-we can't do anything…" Ann whispered, as the guard finally slammed down his sword. But it didn't connect.

The wind blew everyone in the room back before the sword was even halfway down. Akira opened his eyes, his heart beating faster and faster when he felt something solid on his face… a mask?

Tear it off. 

Tear it off, he needed to tear it off— 

His fingers dug underneath the mask as they yanked on it once, feeling it pull a little bit of skin off with it. 

Again, again, do it  _ again. _

He pulled on it again, and again and—

"Ah—  _ AHHHHHHHHH _ — _!" _ Akira screamed, blood pooled from his face as he felt it. He felt a presence that belonged to him, but it wasn't him at the same time.

Yellow eyes. 

Ann and Ryuji saw yellow eyes on his face, the same as Kamoshida's as blue fire surrounded his body, engulfing him as a fiery demonic grin stretched across where Akira's face would normally be.

It came off of him, revealing Akira in a tailcoat, heeled boots, baggy pants, and a waistcoat.

"Holy shit…" Ryuji muttered in disbelief when he saw the demon right behind Akira, wings and chains flying everywhere as Akira spread his hands out, the wind knocking all of his enemies down to the ground, the demon unfurling its wings.

Kamoshida wimpily crawled away and Ann stared with wide eyes at Akira's fierce appearance and clothes. It was a complete contrast to Akira's timid and soft personality.

**_ I am the pillager of twilight— _ ** **_'Arsène'!"_** The demon announced, spreading its wings out as Akira looked down at his hands. Akira was…

Akira was tired…

"What the hell…" Ann murmured, getting up onto her feet and lending Ryuji a helping hand.

**_ "I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis." _ ** Arsène told Akira. Akira pleaded with him.

"P-please, lend me your power! I want to get out of here with the others!" Akira told him. 

Arsène laughed at his response. **_"Hmph, very well…"_**

"Who the hell are you?!" Kamoshida demanded him. 

Akira stiffened and backed away slightly only for Arsène to push him back forward with a clawed hand, even as Akira yelped at the feeling. He had to do this… 

Kamoshida snarled, "Guards!"

The suits of armor came back to life, creaking and cracking back up to standing positions. Akira stood his ground and waited for them to make the first move.

"Start by killing that one!" Kamoshida demanded, pointing at him. The guards suddenly burst into a swirling mixture of black and red, turning into some weird floaty pumpkin-headed creatures. "You'll learn the strength of my men!"

_ "It's just a dream it's just a dream, don't worry Akira it's fine!" _ Akira told himself as he clenched his fists nervously, trying to pump himself up. He needed that surge of confidence and strength he has as Ye-jun, so  _ please, _ grant it to him…

Almost instinctively, the demon on his side helped him.  **_" This power of mine is yours! Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart's content!"_ **

Akira yelled a word that just came to his mind, even though it probably wouldn't do anything. 

"Eiha!"

A burst of black and red flame wrapped around the pumpkin-like creature and burned them, melting off their features as a scream of pure agony echoed through the cell. It looked like it was pulling the creature straight to hell with how fast it blanketed and suffocated them. Akira stood there dumbfounded and looked behind him at the tall demon that had done it. The grin never left its face. What the heck just happened…?

"I-I uh, w-what? Huh?!" Akira stuttered to himself as Arsène practically kicked him, urging him to continue. He didn't even know he had a dagger in his hand until he suddenly bolted towards the last pumpkin, slicing it up. He had no idea how he was doing this. Akira wasn't this fast or strong the last time he remembered.

Akira felt like he was going insane and Ryuji looked at him, his jaw unhinged. "Wh-what was that just now?!"

"I-I don't know—"

"You little…" Kamoshida growled, interrupting Akira and walking up to him. Ryuji was quick on his feet, swiftly running up to Kamoshida and slammed him to the ground, the man groaning as Ryuji smiled.

"Hah! You like that ya son of a bitch?!" Ryuji taunted him.

"T-the keys! Get the keys!" Akira stuttered to Ann, their eyes training over to the rusted ring of keys laying on the floor.

"You mean these?" Ann asked, swiftly picking up all of their bags along with the ring of keys as all of them ran out of the cell. Ann quickly picked one and, like the miracle worker she apparently was, got the right one on the first try, a satisfying  _ click  _ sounding in the lock before she pulled her arm back and threw them as far as she could, plopping into the nearby stream of water.

"Damn you!" Kamoshida cussed at them. The teenagers stood on guard as he gripped onto the cell bars. The roles had been reversed, but not for long. Ann tossed their bags to each of them, Akira almost dropping his while Ryuji caught his own seamlessly.

"Hey! What was that just now?! And… your clothes…" Ryuji observed him.

"L-like I said, I have no ide—" A burst of flames surrounded him, Akira yelling out in surprise as his clothes turned back to normal, his previously broken glasses suddenly back on his face, completely repaired.

"Whoa! It went back to normal!" He yelped. Ann clicked her tongue.

"Instead of talking, we should be getting out of here!" She yelled, Kamoshida slamming down on the bars as they turned their eyes to the king again. "W-waaahhh!" She screamed in surprise.

"You bastards!" He roared at them.

"God, this is 'effin nuts!" Ryuji stressed to all of them. They were all thinking the same thing as Ryuji, they just didn't say it. "Anyways, let's scram! You lead the way, Akira!"

"W-what, me? But I—"

"You have a crazy demon on your side! C'mon, go, go, go!" Ann ushered him. Akira stuttered in protest for a second before groaning and just going along with everything.

"Goddamn thieves… After them! Don't let them escape!" Kamoshida seethed as they ran away. "You bastards! You think you can get away with doing this to me?!"

"Yeah, I don't give a shit! I ain't down for any of this! Ignore the pervert teacher, hurry up!" Ryuji spewed. Akira whimpered slightly before continuing onwards.

Running. There was a lot of running. Akira was athletic, but running was never a strong suit for him. It was even worse when they had to cross the… river? Stream? Whatever; it was a bank of water and it was  _ scary. _

"U-uh, ladies first," Ryuji insisted, urging Ann on.

"What, are you scared? Sheesh, I'll go first then," she teased before making a running start, jumping from one crate to the other seamlessly and making it to the other side.

"U-uh, before you jump, stay there for a second…" Akira stammered, rummaging through his bag and pulling out some bandages. "You got, um, pretty hurt there…"

Akira quickly unpeeled it and pushed it onto his cheek, one that Ryuji didn't even realize was bleeding in the first place.

"Oh, thanks! All right, time to get to hoppin'!" Ryuji smiled, quickly jumping onto the crates. Akira despised the thought of not making it and falling into the water. He reluctantly crossed over with no injuries.

They all hustled, hiding from guards and taking detours. There were  _ so _ many of them.

"Shit, they're lookin' for us, right?" Ryuji cussed, whispering as they all hid from the guard's line of sight with a few barrels and crates.

"Probably went to free Kamoshida… Come on, let's keep going." Ann motioned. They all nodded, fleeing from their cover, and continued.

Stairs a huge spiraling staircase.

_ "This has to be the exit… There's no other way," _ Akira thought as they all ran up the steps, sweat dripping from his brow. Ryuji panted loudly, a pained expression on his face. His legs were starting to falter.

"I-is this the exit? Let's get outta here!" Ryuji and Ann pushed the heavy door open only to reveal even more water and no exit out. Akira whined. He just wanted to go back to Leblanc's attic and sleep for five years…

"Dude… You gotta be jokin'…" Ryuji groaned as they all kept looking around.

"What even is this place?! This whole thing is confusing— urgh!" Ann shrieked, pulling at her hair in frustration.

"Let's just keep going for now…" Akira told them, running on ahead before stopping, looking at a few cages hanging above the water. "W-wait, a-are those…?"

"Those are definitely people…! So the people who were screaming… They were captured, just like us…" Ann muttered, her hands clenched into fists as she shook her head and breathed heavily. "We can't waste any more time. Let's hurry."

They ran into a dead end. There was  _ no _ way out. Akira's head hurt super badly and he was still exhausted. That coffee did  _ nothing _ for him.

"Hey, you over there! Shortie, Blondie, a-and, uh, L-lady! Look over here!"

They all turned their bodies over to the cell to the left of them and—

"W-what is this thing?!" Ryuji exclaimed as a cat-like creature waved his hand at them, a yellow bandana wrapped around their neck.

"You're not soldiers of this castle, right?! Get me out of here!" The cat-like creature pleaded with them, "Look, the key's right there!"

"We're tryin' to get the hell outta here! I mean— you obviously look like an enemy too!" Ryuji pointed out. 

Ann crossed her arms together, tilting her head to the side in thought. "If he were an enemy, he wouldn't be captured like this."

"T-thank you, Miss! I'm locked up here, so how can I be an enemy?! Come on, help me out!" The cat pleaded with them.

"Um, are you a cat?" Akira asked him. 

The creature hissed at him in response. "I am  _ not _ a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" They all flinched when they heard heavy footsteps heading their way at a fast pace.

"They're catchin' up already!" Ryuji whispered urgently.

Ann bit her lip. "There's still no service here… How do we get out?!"

"I'd like to inform you that I can show you the exit! If you let me out, I can show you the way out of here! I swear I'm not lying!" The cat creature pleaded. Akira quickly went onto his toes and reached up for the key that was hanging up on a hook, shoving the key into the door and unlocking it before anyone could say anything, Ryuji sputtering at how fast Akira took action.

"Ahhhh… Freedom tastes so great…" The creature stretched with a smile on his face.

"Now where's the exit you monster cat?!" Ryuji demanded.

The creature grit his teeth together and glared at him. "Don't call me a cat! I am  _ Morgana!" _

"Just hurry it up or else I'm going to lock you back in the cage!" Ann commanded Morgana. Morgana yelped, suddenly acting shy.

"A-as you command, my Lady!" Morgana faltered before gaining his confidence back. "Follow me, and stay quiet!"

"W-we just follow it, I guess…" Akira stuttered, running over to where Morgana was leading them. The cat was standing right by the statue and drawbridge, Morgana smiling up at Ann when she asked him what he was doing.

"I'm lowering the bridge, my lady! Hey, you, Shortie! I'm betting you pick up on things better than Blondie over here, and we wouldn't want our lady here to hurt her hands, so put your hands in the statue's mouth!" Morgana commanded him. 

Ryuji exclaimed a 'hey' only for Morgana to ignore him, and Akira lightly put his hand into the statue of Kamoshida, letting out a shocked 'huh' when he realized he could pull the jaw down.

Once it pulled down, the drawbridge did as well. Ryuji yelled at Morgana, "How the hell were we supposed to know how to do that?!"

"Hmph, amateur. Come on, let's keep going," Morgana insulted Ryuji. The boy was practically fuming as they all crossed the bridge, only for a guard to pop out. Ann and Ryuji screamed, both of them falling to the ground. Akira felt something warm crawl up his body, looking down at his hands to see red gloves.

"A-AHH! Oh shit! Oh shit, it's  _ them!" _ Ryuji yelled as Morgana quickly took the frontlines and chided.

"You amateur! Stay still! Hey, you!" Morgana pointed at Akira-san who then pointed at himself in confirmation. "You can fight, right? Let's go!" He told him.

"H-HAH?!" Akira burst out. No way was he going to fight, it's impossible! That was a one-time thing! Morgana just ignored him as Akira gasped, looking at him with wide eyes as the cat creature shouted.

"Come… Zorro!"

Ann and Ryuji made a frightened gasp as a blue light engulfed Morgana, only to reveal a large figure circled with chains and flames. They were poised and stout with a 'Z' on their belt. The flames and power were very similar to what Akira had seen moments ago when they were fighting for their lives.

"Y-you have one of those things, too?!" Ann exclaimed. Morgana just smirked and crossed his arms together as the guard split into two enemies.

"Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again beta read by [berryfartsart!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryfartsart/pseuds/berryfartsart) please check them out!!!


	3. Chapter 2: The Insecurity of a Ex-Track Runner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang escape with their lives, but Ryuji and Ann are still drawn to that mysterious place. Akira, being the good person he is, reluctantly joins them in their escapade through the creepy castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **ADDITIONAL WARNINGS/INFORMATION:**  
>    
> -story is going to move pretty slowly,,,,,, a lot of things in the beginning are going to stick to canon but it'll be a curve later on.  
> -because akira already has relatively high stats, he doesn't have to waste time doing certain things. like his knowledge, he can completely disregard that. it gives him more times to just fuck around and hang with confidants

Akira _gasped_ when they made it out. Ryuji-san had his hands perched upon his knees and Ann-san looked like she just popped her back out. They had crawled out of the castle via a vent and Morgana-san stayed behind and announced that he still had things to do.

"D-did we make it?" Ryuji-san questioned. Akira pulled out his phone only for it to speak, Akira flinching back in surprise.  "You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." 

"I-I mean, I guess we did… Oh crap, what time is it?" Akira quickly looked at the time before covering his face in disbelief. He turned his head over to Ann-san, his neck stiff and his movements mechanical.

"I-it's past fourth period, it's almost the end of the school day…"

Ann-san could barely believe the words he said and checked her phone before pocketing it. "Oh my god… You're kidding me, right?"

"More importantly, the hell was all of that?! The castle, Kamoshida, and that weird cat! This is 'effin nuts!" Ryuji screamed.

"What's with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin?" Two police officers walked up to them. "Cutting classes, are we?" Akira immediately took the front for the conversation.

 _"All right, I need to lie to get us out of trouble—! Umm, we all look injured, so… Ah, I got it!"_ Akira thought before opening his mouth and responding to the officers.

"M-my apologies, sir. We got attacked on our way to school. Two adults jumped us and we got injured… When we woke up, we were abandoned in a dirty alleyway. I'm so sorry, sir." Akira bowed to them. He tapped the backs of Ryuji-san and Ann-san to indicate that he wanted them to bow. They gasped at the sudden touch, but they both got what he wanted to say. Akira was just praying that these cops weren't smart enough to fall for his obvious lie.

"…You do have injuries, and your clothes are ruffled and dirty," one of the officers and pulled out a notepad. "Do you have any more details on these perpetrators?"

"Ah, yes. I remember a tall man, maybe around six feet. The other one was a woman, maybe around… Five-foot five? They were both wearing face masks and hoodies, so I couldn't see them clearly," Akira lied. The police officer wrote down every single detail in his notepad before flipping it and shoving it in his pocket.

"We'll escort you to your school's gate just in case. You should check out your wounds at the office, too," the timid officer suggested. Akira nodded, gesturing his head so the others would follow him. They looked at him with gaping mouths and Akira gave them an awkward smile and held a finger up to his lips. _"Don't give it away."_

Akira couldn't even believe they fell for such a bad lie; it wasn't even good. He came up with it on the spot out of desperation. It could've been disproven _easily_ but the cops didn't question them. Akira was thankful, but he started to worry if the police were doing their job…

"We'll be contacting your school to make sure you don't get in any trouble from being out late," the aggressive officer stated. Akira smiled and thanked them as the three of them made it to the school gates. The officers left them once they arrived, Akira bowing to them once more.

"Dude… Is this for real? I swear the school was a castle, the hell?" Ryuji-san muttered to them, looking at the completely normal school building.

"…Yeah, y-you're right… it's weird," Akira muttered, jumping up and straightening his posture when the guidance counselor walked out with his arms crossed.

"We got a call from the police saying that three students were caught up in an accident. I'm assuming you guys got in that mess?" His eyes trailed on Ryuji-san. "Huh, it's rare to not see you alone. Where did you guys run off to?"

"Uh, uh— A— A castle?"

Akira was about to smack himself in the face out of embarrassment when Ryuji-san was breaking apart the story he had crafted in the blink of an eye.

"What's this about a castle?" They heard. A familiar tone of voice, too familiar as a large man walked out, a whistle wrapped around his neck and decked out in gym clothes.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji-san exclaimed. Akira shushed him, paying attention to the authorities and maintaining silence as the gym teacher spoke once again, "You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team."

"Shuddup! It's your fault that—"

"How _dare_ you speak that way to Kamoshida-sensei?! Hah… There's not much leeway left for you, you know?" The counselor scolded Ryuji-san, who was aggravated just by Kamoshida's appearance. Ann-san was pissed off just by looking at him too, her fists clenched together.

"He's the one that provoked me!" Ryuji-san kept saying, defending himself. Akira wanted to tell him to calm down, but he knew it wouldn't work. He was just glad that Ann-san was keeping silent and holding in her anger despite the situation. Akira could understand why they were angry, but this was a _lot_ of concentrated hatred.

"Do you really want to be expelled?!" The counselor shot back. Ryuji-san refused to back down, opening his mouth again only for Kamoshida to intervene with a smile on his face, "Come now. I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame."

"Well, if you say so…" The counselor responded to Kamoshida before looking at the three students in front of him. "Hurry up and get your wounds treated, then head straight to class!"

"Fine…" Ann-san grumbled as Ryuji-san and her pushed past Kamoshida, leaving Kamoshida and Akira alone. Akira headed for the door, only for Kamoshida to speak to him.

"You're that transfer student, Kurusu Akira right?" He asked him. Akira just nodded at him, before realizing he was completely screwed. He had lied to stop Ann-san from getting into his car that morning and said he switched classes. "You're lucky I didn't tell the counselor that you lied. You probably got them into trouble on purpose, didn't you?"

"No… No, not at all, sir," Akira responded, meek and small. Kamoshida scoffed at him. "I'll overlook this just for today. If you cause any more trouble, you'll be expelled. Understood?" Akira nodded, walking past him and dusting off his uniform as he traveled up the stairs.

"Oh, and by the way," Kamoshida added. Akira turned his head to face the man. "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life."

"Oh, um… Thank you, sir." 

Akira walked into the school and saw Ryuji-san and Ann-san talking with each other. Talking? More like _arguing._ Both seemed to be a bit pissed off and they took it out on each other.

"You almost blew our cover!" Ann-san argued with him. "Nobody's gonna believe that we were stuck in a _castle!"_

"But that damn Kamoshida—"

"G-guys, hey, stop fighting, o-okay? It's over now. Besides, we're in school now, right? L-let's just get on with our days, okay?" Akira tried to calm down the two blonde-haired teenagers. They looked over at him and groaned.

"Aight, I'm headed to the nurse's office. Ann, you comin' too?" Ann nodded before Ryuji-san looked over at Akira, continuing his question. "What about you?"

"O-oh, I actually have somewhere to be. I'll get my wounds checked later. B-besides, I'm not as hurt as you guys…"

"Well, all right then. See you later, Akira!" Ann-san waved, both Ryuji-san and Ann-san heading the opposite direction as Akira weakly waved back.

 _"Faculty office… It's on the second floor…"_ Akira told himself as he wandered the school, hearing brief whispers and chatter. Once Akira decided to open his ears up and listen closely, he almost froze.

"What if you get in trouble because of him? Better to just stay away."

"I hear he hides a bunch of dangerous stuff in his bag…"

"Isn't he a criminal that's gotten in all sorts of stuff…?"

"So that's him? The guy with the criminal record?"

They were talking about him. _His record was leaked._ Akira took deep breaths. It's fine, everything would be fine. No harm was done, just continue your day and ignore it… As long as nobody finds out about your other identity and _completely ruins your chance at a future,_ it's completely fine.

Akira couldn't help himself from listening in on the conversations, though. It was a habit to eavesdrop, but it kept him aware of his surroundings. It made him feel like he had control of a situation he normally wouldn't be able to. He knew it was terrible to do, but he couldn't stop fixating on the things people said about him.

"They really allow criminals into high school? I don't want to go to school with someone like that," a skittish male student spoke. Akira bit his lip as his friend shuddered, "Is he still called a criminal if he's underage? I guess all that matters is that he's dangerous."

"He was convicted of assault, right? A guy like that has to be really scary-looking," the skittish student responded. Akira almost snorted at the mention of him looking scary. He wasn't even _close_ to intimidating… "The school should kick him out already. It sounds like he's a time bomb just waiting to go off."

Akira sighed and walked away, not wanting to hear any more about it, and went into the faculty office. Kawakami-sensei gave him a deadpan look when he approached her.

"I heard what happened. Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" She questioned worriedly.

"I'm pretty okay… S-sorry for the inconvenience, Kawakami-sensei." Akira bowed. The teacher sighed, swiveling her chair to face him.

"I can't believe something like that would happen on your first day. More importantly, I heard that you were found with that Sakamoto-kun."

"You mean Ryuji-san?" Kawakami-sensei widened her eyes at that comment.

"First-name basis already…? In any case, don't get involved with him. He's nothing but trouble." Akira stayed silent, knowing that the boy wasn't that bad, at least from his short amount of time he spent with him. "He wasn't like that before he was devoting his time to track and field though… That's beside the point. Just don't get involved with him. Understood?"

"…Yes, ma'am," Akira replied.

"Breaks almost over; classes end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll introduce you when class resumes." She stood up from her seat and fixed the hem of her skirt. "Follow me."

They walked out into the corridor as she led him to the front of the classroom. She stopped him before they went in, the hallways clearing out as students headed to their classes.

"By the way, when you introduce yourself… Be serious about it even if you're lying to the class. Do NOT say anything unnecessary, okay?" Akira nodded, planning an introduction to his class in his head as they went inside and ignored the chattering students that passed by him and pointed at his back.

Chattering. Loud chattering as Akira kept his gaze on his feet and pushed his glasses onto his nose bridge.

"Being super late on his first day? He really is insane…"

"He looks normal though… He's so short."

"He might slug you if you say that to his face."

"Settle down," Kawakami-sensei instructed. The class silenced themselves. "…Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Kurusu Akira. Today, we… had him attend from the afternoon on since he wasn't feeling well."

 _"She's lying? But, I guess if she repeated what I said to the cops, she'd be doing it either way…"_ Akira thought as Kawakami-sensei continued, "All right, please say something to the class."

Akira gave his best television-show smile to the class. "I'm Kurusu Akira. I look forward to spending the year with you all."

"He seems quiet… But I bet when he loses it…" A girl whispered. Another girl responded to her, "I mean, he was arrested for assault, right?" Akira's lips pressed into a thin line as Kawakami-sensei pointed him to a new seat, right behind—

"Ann-san?" Akira breathed out in disbelief when he arrived near his desk. Ann-san gave him a grin and a little wave. Akira did the same as he sat down behind her, his feet failing to touch the ground.

"Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?"

"Ooo, first-names already? Did the transfer student try hitting on her? I doubt Takamaki would accept a flirt from a short-ass, though."

"That means Takamaki-san is cheating on Kamoshida-sensei! Then again, it's Takamaki-san we're talking about."

"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."

Akira put his face on his desk and covered himself with his bag and arms, hoping that his tomato-colored face wouldn't seep through. Akira was completely and utterly embarrassed. This was the _worst_ possible thing to happen, he thought he wouldn't get this talk from _at least_ the students but that was wishful thinking.

"Oh, right!" Kawakami-sensei exclaimed. "The volleyball rally is in two days… Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get class started. Who's on duty today?"

"Everyone, please rise…" A well-behaved student muttered. Akira's eyes immediately went to his face. There were wounds on his face, sad and sultry eyes covered by his black-blue hair. He quickly analyzed him only to bite his lip as he stood up from his seat, getting ready to do the daily routine that every school had.

_"Those aren't normal."_

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

When Akira walked out of the classroom, the halls fading into red-carpeted flooring with expensive couches on the side only to fade back into wooden flooring and lockers. Akira's head hurt, pushing his glasses up and pinching between his eyes. Kawakami-sensei walked out of the classroom and caught his pained expression. "Hm? What's wrong?"

Akira quickly straightened his back and put his glasses back down, smiling at his teacher.

"Ah, it's nothing… Just a bit of a headache."

"Hm, it seems like people are already talking about you, but I'm not the one who told them," she claimed. "Ugh, I can't even catch a break… Why do I have to deal with this?"

"You should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-san sounded pretty worried." Akira almost dropped dead at the mention of Sojiro-san. He was dead, he was definitely dead. Sojiro-san was going to kill him. "Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun, don't get involved—"

As soon as she started talking about him, Ryuji-san walked up to them.

"Speak of the devil…" Kawakami-sensei mumbled as she was met with a familiar blonde-haired boy. "What do you want? I heard you were found with Kurusu-kun over here."

"Ugh… It was nothin'," Ryuji-san responded plainly.

"And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either…" Kawakami-sensei kept prying. Ryuji-san responded unapologetically, "Sorry 'bout that."

Ryuji-san walked over to Akira and bent down, whispered into his ear before heading for the staircases, "I'll be waitin' on the rooftop. Bring Ann with you."

When he disappeared from their sight, Kawakami-sensei complained to him, "See? That's why I don't want you to get involved. Understood? You have a lot of things to do with your life, you're just on temporary leave. It's best to not ruin your chances even more."

Akira flinched at the brief and roundabout way Kawakami-sensei mentioned his career, but he was probably going to head up and meet with Ryuji-san anyway. She left him and Akira peering into the classroom to see Ann-san packing up her things. When she turned her head to the door, she saw a small hand gesture to follow him.

When Ann-san came out, she was met with Akira intently listening in and staring at a conversation that was happening between Kamoshida and Principal Kobayakawa.

"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He has a criminal record and he's already started to associate with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record and the culprit of an assault case…" Kamoshida crossed his arms. "At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school."

"Now, don't be like that… This school counts on you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our _star,"_ The principal complimented, buttering him up in all of the right places. "Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well."

"Your troubles never seem to end, do they Principal Kobayakawa?" Kamoshida laughed tiredly to the large man. "All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me."

Both of them walked away, Akira suddenly holding a serious expression on his face before it turned soft, looking towards her. "L-let's head up to the roof. Ryuji-san wanted to talk about something."

Ann-san just nodded hesitantly. "All right… let's head up, then. You just transferred, so I'll be showing you the way."

They climbed up the stairs. Akira completely ignored the murmurs, knowing it was nothing but slander.

They quickly made it up to the blue double-doored entrance and a notice was plastered onto it lazily. It was an off-limits sign but that didn't stop anyone, especially since it was unlocked. Ryuji-san was being a bad boy. Ann-san pushed the door open, revealing the boy sitting on one of the numerous chairs sprawled out.

"…There you are. Sorry for callin' you guys up like this," he apologized. Akira shook his head and sat on the table as Ann-san took a seat on it with him. He smiled pleasantly at him. "N-no, it's all right. I don't mind it at all."

"Heh, I bet Kawakami already spouted out stuff like, 'don't get involved with him,' huh?" Ryuji-san scoffed. Akira chuckled, "S-she said those exact words… Are you a psychic? She said you're trouble. Are you a bad boy, Ryuji-san?"

"He went up onto the roof when an off-limits sign was posted on the door. He's obviously a 'bad boy,'" Ann-san joked.

Ryuji-san leaned back in his chair dangerously. "Well, you and Akira ain't exactly exceptions. We're pretty much in the same boat now. Everyone's been talkin' about how he's got a criminal record."

"Seriously, some of these accusations are insane. Drugs, smoking, theft… Are you kidding me?" Ann-san groaned. Akira said nothing as the girl continued, "It's hard to imagine it since you seem pretty laid back and nervous. You just seem… polite. I can't imagine it at all. Unless you've got some hidden dark side?"

Akira thought about his staged personality dancing and acting cute for the crowd, but he responded quickly to Ann-san's question, "No, not at all. Anyway… You guys remember what happened there— or not— I'm still unsure…"

Ryuji-san coughed, "Hell no! I think I'd remember if I almost got killed by an 'effin pervert in a pink speedo." Ann-san nodded as Ryuji-san pointed at both of them. "I mean, that wasn't a dream, right? I ain't crazy, yeah?"

 _"Not_ crazy. I can't believe that happened…" Ann-san groaned. "But just because we all remember it, it doesn't mean that much… But even if it was a dream, you stood up for us and protected us from Kamoshida. So… thanks Akira."

"Yeah, man. Huge thanks." Ryuji-san grinned at him. Akira scratched the back of his neck and started playing with the loose strands of his hair.

"O-oh, no— It was nothing, really…" He stuttered. Ryuji stretched his arms behind his head and thought about what happened and a reel of incidents played through his mind

"But man… That Kamoshida we saw there… You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."

"Y-you mean the, um, tall teacher at the gate?" Akira held his hand up high above his head to signify how tall the man was. Ryuji-san nodded. "Yeah, the same asshole who was all full of himself at the castle."

"No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to the nationals," the boy continued with an abnormal amount of hatred, his eyebrows furled with an intense expression on his face. "The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that…"

"…Don't you guys wanna know if we can go back to that place again?" Akira looked up at Ann-san's eyes, but she quickly shook her head and laughed it off. "Actually… No, that must have been a dream. I doubt that any of that was real," she contradicted herself quickly and pushed herself off the table, her sneakers touching the ground as she dusted herself off.

"Yeah, it has to be. Sorry to drag you guys out here like this. That was all I had to say," Ryuji-san grunted and rolled his head before going for the stairs. He suddenly stopped before going down, turning his gaze to Akira and smiling. "Ya know, I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as 'troublemakers.' I'll talk to you if I see you around. Don't be shy and ignore me either, okay? See ya."

Akira looked off to the side, the sky starting to become tinged in that soft and pastel orange color. He slowly took a deep breath and headed down the stairs, his posture slouched and unnatural for a dancer. Akira's hands were shoved into his pockets as he kept his head down and listened in on the rumors repeating the same things over and over again. They're scared of him. They wished he wasn't there and they say he's already done crazy things with no proof to back it up.

 _"But they must've gotten the information from somewhere. Nobody would jump straight to the conclusion that I have an assault record for no reason, someone leaked it online. The only people that can leak it online are the staff who can access my student files— so the teachers. Out of all of the teachers, the most likely to leak it besides Kawakami-sensei is…"_ Akira started thinking and he already knew the answer, but he did nothing with that knowledge. He tapped his foot incessantly in the subway train, clenching onto his bag with a pained expression on his face. It was like he was cursed so that no matter where he went: horrible things would plague him. It's like god never wanted him to be happy.

_"It's Kamoshida."_

He opened the door to Café Leblanc, the fresh smell of coffee and curry inviting him inside, but the expression of a pissed off middle-aged man said otherwise.

"I got a call from your school," Sojiro-san started to say to him sternly. "Really? Attacked by a bunch of adults? You really can't protect yourself?"

Akira turned his eyes away from the man, refusing to meet his eyes. He hated eye contact, he hated looking into the eyes of somebody that despised him.

Sojiro-san sighed, pulling out a small first-aid kit and pointing to one of the booths. "Sit down, I'll clean up your injuries," he ordered. Akira just nodded and took a seat.

"Um, Sojiro-san-san… How did you even realize I haven't cleaned my wounds yet…?" Akira asked him. Sojiro-san scoffed and left the counter. He walked up to the boy and rolled up his pant's leg to reveal a big gash on his knee. Sojiro-san leaned down and took out some alcohol wipes. Akira flinched at the sensation of the wetness on his wound and it started to sting.

"The blood was starting to seep through."

Akira stayed silent and shut his mouth as Sojiro-san quickly fixed him up. Numerous bandages meticulously decorated his body with most of them being on his legs.

"Behave yourself, all right? And if you get into trouble like that again, _run._ One wrong step and your life is over, kid. You know what probation means, right?" Sojiro-san scolded him. Akira nodded his head, his eyes trained onto his hands and fingers.

Sojiro-san's phone suddenly rang, the man picking it up and holding it to his phone. "Hey, what's up?" The man responded, staying quiet as the person on the other side responded. Sojiro-san had a slight smile on his face and a soft voice

"…Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll head over in half an hour, as promised," his voice shifted when turned his gaze over to Akira. "What're you standing around for? Get upstairs and go to bed already."

It didn't sound _angry_ but it wasn't nice either.

"…No, it's a guy. I just hired a part-timer."

Akira huffed and started to head for the stairs before Sojiro-san instructed him, "Don't forget to lock the door and turn all the lights off, okay?"

Akira gave him a small smile and nodded, his legs aching as he stepped up the stairs. He heard Sojiro-san talk to the person over the phone, saying that Akira was _just_ a part-timer again. He quickly changed into his comfortable clothes: a loose black shirt and some gray sweatpants. He crossed his legs on his bed and fiddled with his pencil while he did his minuscule amount of homework. Akira didn't even know why he was procrastinating; he already knew how to do everything but his brain just wouldn't work with him.

He finished and shoved everything into his bag. He turned off the lights and flipped the sign. Akira was exhausted and barely believed in anything that happened that day. He slept like a rock…

Until he ended up in his prisoner's garb. He sat up from the hard bed as Caroline yelled at him. What a familiar situation…

"…About time you've come to. On your feet, inmate!" She yelled at him. Akira yawned, stood up from the bed, and trudged his legs over to the door. His hands encased themselves around the bars as he looked over at Caroline and Justine before his eyes met Igor's.

 _"It's just a dream, it's just a dream. Just act like this is normal because it is,"_ Akira swore he wasn't insane; no way, no how.

"Out master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart," Justine softly noted. Akira took a deep breath from his nose and let it out through his mouth, and Igor smiled at him; Igor was always smiling, so there wasn't a difference…

"First off, let us celebrate our reunion," Igor smirked before quirking an eyebrow. "Oh…? You've awakened to your powers— and special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin."

"S-sir, I'm sorry, but I still don't understand—"

"There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a 'mask'— an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you."

"I— I don't know…"

Igor just looked at him. He felt like the man was staring straight through him, into his soul, into his body.

"There is no need to worry. You will learn when the time comes," Igor rumbled. "By the by… have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces."

"T-the Meta what?" Akira was dumbfounded by him and tried to process all of the information. Usually, he was good at storing large amounts of information and cataloging it inside of his brain but this was too _bizarre._ Bizarre enough to the point where his brain couldn't even think properly.

"…I bestowed it to you as a mean to train you as a thief," Igor told him. Everything was going in through one ear and out the other. _What?_ He wasn't paying attention to anything before Caroline spoke up.

"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, Inmate!" Caroline commanded him and Justine spoke right after her, "Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief."

"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone," Igor continued. "Should there be others that prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief."

 _"Thief? I-I'm going to be stealing things…? I'm tired, wake up already, come on… This isn't real, it's just your consciousness making things up and piecing it together weirdly…"_ Akira kept trying to convince himself, but this was the second time back here where everything looked the same, the names were the same, the appearances were the sams, and even personality characteristics stayed consistent…?

Maybe… Maybe this was _real._

An alarm rang throughout the prison. Akira's body stiffened when he realized that this was _real._ That even though he was experiencing this from a dream, it was _real._ He pinched himself and his eyebrows scrunched up when he felt pain.

"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have…" Caroline chided and upturned her head. She didn't even bother to spare him a parting glance. His vision slowly faded into darkness even though he never even closed his eyes.

When he woke up it was April 12th, a Tuesday. He quickly ran his hands over his face and sighed. He quickly shook the tiredness out of him and got dressed in his school uniform, flattening the wrinkles with his hands and being extremely careful when putting his pants on to not disturb the gash in his knee.

He tossed his bag over his shoulder and ate whatever he thought he could eat that was in the fridge. Akira took an apple out and shoved it in his mouth as he opened the door outside, the bell jingling as he unfolded his umbrella and walked.

The train was crowded like always, Akira listening to the rumors about the subway derailment incident. People suddenly losing control of themselves… Akira wanted to care for it, but he was mostly bothered by his situation.

While waiting for the other train to come (since he had to painstakingly transfer lines,) he spotted a girl with a red bow and red-colored hair. It looked… familiar.

"Look, isn't that her?" A girl gossiped to her male friend. The boy quirked his head to the side, trying to get a better look at who she was talking about. "You mean that one with the red ribbon? Uh, I guess so?"

"She's so thin… It's not fair, I've got my hair in a ponytail too…" The girl commented, a bit of jealousy seeping through her words.

"Okay, and what's that got to do with being thin?" The guy commented. Akira almost snorted and how nonchalant this guy was. Or maybe he was just half-asleep…

The conversation quickly ended as the train pulled up, their small group squishing into the tight area. Akira yawned, covering his mouth with his hand as he did so.

Akira was standing right next to the seats where the aforementioned red-ribboned girl was sitting. The girl locked eyes with an old lady in front of her, gently sitting up, her posture steady and straight as she spoke to the woman, "Please, take my seat. My station's coming up."

As soon as she spoke, Akira put two and two together and already figured out the identity of the girl, but decided to say nothing. He would blow his cover as a regular student if he did.

"Are ya sure? Then…" The granny watched the girl move out of the way until Akira caught sight of a businessman taking the spot with blinding speed. The girl looked back at the man with wide eyes.

"Oh wow, what speed!" She exclaimed. Akira giggled at her astonishment. She shook away her amazement and tapped the man's shoulder. "I mean— Excuse me, that seat was for this lady…"

The man looked at her with a tired expression and as soon as she finished her sentence, he knocked out, gentle snoring coming from his lips.

"Oh…"

"…Do you want me to wake him up?" Akira asked her. The girl looked down at him and shook her head. "It's all right. I can understand his position as well."

Akira nodded and went back to scrolling through his phone with his earbuds set into his ears. He listened to music, but he still concentrated on the conversation next to him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help," the girl apologized to the old lady, Akira looking up a bit from his phone. The old lady just beamed at the girl. "It's all right, dearie. Don't you worry."

"Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least," she offered.

 _"…She's exactly as I remember."_ Akira thought as she picked up the granny's luggage. A heartfelt 'thank you' resonating from her mouth and worried if it was heavy.

"Not at all! I train plenty." Those words practically confirmed it as Akira sighed, looking down at his phone and stopped listening to them for the rest of the ride to school.

When they got off the station, the girl ran up to him.

"Pardon me," she started, Akira turning around to meet her. He didn't bother to look into her eyes, knowing that as soon as he did he'd be completely and utterly exposed. "Thank you so much for earlier."

"H-huh? For what?" He was frazzled at her thanks. What was there to thank him for? She came back from her bow and straightened her back.

"For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train. You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, correct? I'm a first-year there myself," she pointed to her numbered button. "Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai."

"Please, excuse me!" She bowed once again before heading off. Akira chuckled a little bit as she left.

 _"I guess she's still the same… Good to know that."_ Akira watched her red hair disappear and he continued on his way by himself. Even though she still seemed the same, she also felt a bit different at the same time.

The rain calmed him as he propped his umbrella up, the pitter-patter of the droplets going down as he arrived at the school. It wasn't a castle, much to his delight.

He barely paid attention in class since he didn't need to try while he was there and listened as the social studies teacher introduced himself as Ushimaru-sensei. Akira was busy trying to make sense of his dream.

 _"Personas, the Metaverse Navigator, Palaces… They all correlate with each other."_ Akira quickly mapped it out. The powers he had were called a Persona (if Morgana-san wasn't lying,) the castle they entered is a Palace… maybe? He still had no idea what the Metaverse Navigator was. He tapped his pencil on his notebook in contemplation.

"Hey, new kid," Ushimaru-sensei called, Akira breaking out of his trance and turning his eyes on the man, realizing he had been slumped over his desk and quickly straightened his back.

"Yes, sir?"

"Tell me what the Devil's Dictionary defined as the chief factor in the progress of the human race," the man demanded him. Akira quickly scrolled through his brain and immediately picked the answer.

"Malefactors, sir," Akira responded. Ushimaru-sensei clapped his hands together.

"Correct. You actually knew that, huh?" Akira looked away from the man and completely voided out the lecture. He didn't notice Ann-san look back at him suspiciously before turning her gaze back to the blackboard. The class chattered, surprised at his intelligence but Akira thought that it wasn't anything special. Anybody could have answered it, it just so happened that he was picked.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but he appreciated the fact that Ann took the time to talk to him before she headed out to eat lunch somewhere else. Akira bought a yakisoba pan from the student store and scarfed it down, waiting for the day to end.

Akira picked up his things when Ann-san approached him. "Wanna walk to the station with me?"

"Um, sure," he sat up and put his bag over his shoulder. They both walked out of the classroom only for a familiar figure to approach them. Ann-san stiffened up as she instinctively made herself look taller, pushing Akira behind her, the boy looking at her confusedly.

"Hey there, Takamaki." Kamoshida beamed at her. "Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents."

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it…" She lied. Akira cringed at her shaky voice and how poorly she played it off, but he stayed quiet and observed them.

"Hey, now… being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?"

 _"A-appendicitis? That's the worst lie to give, Ann-san…"_ Akira thought as Ann-san kept trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"Yes, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy… Sorry to worry you," she 'apologized.' Akira could see the change in Kamoshida's demeanor even though Ann-san didn't realize it.

"You must be lonely, too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. Oh, and… Are you sure you should be hanging around this transfer student?" Kamoshida took a jab at Akira. Akira shriveled up at the mention of him.

"He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you while associating with him…"

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine! Besides, I can make decisions for myself. Well, please excuse me," Ann-san suddenly latching her hand onto Akira's and pulling him down the stairs, Akira gasping at the sudden contact and being dragged down the stairs.

"A-Ann-san! W-wait, people are looking—" Akira pleaded with her, but she didn't pay attention. Before they knew it, they were already outside of the school gate, Ryuji-san standing outside.

"Yo— Oh, _huh._ Guess you guys are already buddy-buddy, aren't ya?" Ryuji-san teased. Ann-san suddenly looked down at her grasping onto Akira's hand and let go of him, Akira rubbing his palm.

"Sorry! I sort of panicked and I dragged you along with me. Damn, I hate that teacher… Pervert trying to tell me what to do…"

"C-calm down… All of us are fine, right?" Akira told her.

"You guys ran into Kamoshida again? Huh, what luck. I wanted to talk to you guys about him, anyway." Both of them looked up at the boy who continued to speak, "I tried telling myself that the castle was l just a dream… but I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that _bastard_ Kamoshida, after all."

"I get what you mean… I'm curious, too. You want to find out about that castle, don't you?" Ann-san nudged Ryuji-san with a smirk on her face. Ryuji-san wasn't going to say no, but he needed a certain somebody to come with them. "I want you to come also, Akira. The more the, _uh,_ something. Eh, eh? C'mon, I know you wanna! Right?"

"M-me? Uh, well…" Akira thought about his answer. He isn't supposed to be getting into trouble, but… Well, maybe just a peek is okay. "… All right. I'll come with you guys."

"Nice! Hehe, okay, glad we're in this together!" Ryuji-san exclaimed to them, "So, I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you guys are walkin' to the station, yeah? Let's go there together. Lemme know if you guys see any _weird_ buildings."

"Roger that, Ryuji. Let's hope that this works, though," Ann-san grunted as the trio wandered away, Ryuji-san mostly leading them since he's the one who told them about this 'shortcut' last time. Ann-san and Akira were mostly just observers, keeping an eye out for anything that was out of place.

Akira was tired when they didn't find it the first time. He was exhausted when it came to the fourth. By the tenth, he was dead, slumped against the gate of the school. Most of the students have already gone except for a few clubs and some workaholics.

"Is it smaller than we think it is?" Ryuji-san mumbled in disbelief. They were getting nowhere and they didn't have an inkling of a clue on what to do next. Ann-san groaned and rubbed at her eyes in exhaustion.

"I have no idea… What do you think, Akira?" She queried. Akira shrugged and responded tiredly, his face buried inside of his arms. "…Did you check your phone?"

"I already did that. I didn't see anything like it around here… Huh? Wait, phone…" Ryuji-san pushed himself off of the wall and uncrossed his arms, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Phone? Wait actually, that reminds me of something— Didn't you have something like a navigation app on your phone? I heard a voice coming from it," Ann-san specified, suddenly standing from the ground. Akira looked at her quizzically and pulled his phone out of his pocket slowly.

"I don't know…"

"Yeah, I heard somethin' come from your phone. Y'know, didn't it say stuff like 'returned to the real world' or somethin' like that? C'mon, hand over your phone Akira," Ryuji-san asked, holding out his hand.

"Huh?! How come?" Akira fidgeted with the phone in his pocket.

"C'mon, dude. I promise I won't break it or anything. Please?" He begged him. Ryuji-san hit Akira's weak spot by saying 'please' and the shorter male fished it out of his pocket and unlocked it with his fingerprint. The other boy snatched it from his hand and scrolled through his apps as Ann-san looked over Ryuji-san's shoulder before she pointed, "What's this eyeball thingy?"

"It just appeared suddenly and I can't get rid of it… so I decided to just keep it there."

Ryuji-san tapped on it with his thumb as a smile spread across his face. "Oh, wait! This is it!" 

Akira was surprised that it was on _his_ phone, but then again with everything that's been happening to him, he shouldn't be. "I knew it— It _is_ a navigation app! There's even your search history! Aw man, I'm _such_ a genius!"

"Way to take all of the credit…" Ann-san snapped and looked down at Akira's phone. "But we should try using it!"

"Um, I don't know about this…" Akira stammered nervously. Ryuji threw him a questioning glance.

"Huh, how come? We're just startin' it up, no harm done." Ryuji-san listened to Akira's phone speak.

"Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle…"  It spoke.  "Beginning navigation." 

"All right! Now we just have to go in that same direction and—"

Akira felt the change, but it looks like the others didn't. Akira quickly lifted himself off the ground when he felt that weird woozy feeling take over his body.

"Hey, what are you—" Ryuji-san started before all of them were looking down at Akira's phone.

"Huh? What the hell?!" Ryuji-san exclaimed. His eyes went back down to his phone, the app's icon sitting in the middle of the screen, glitching as the screen turned completely red, their heads spiking with bearable pain, but it still impaired them.

The castle stood in front of them, all of them looking at the dingy old thing spanning across the entire campus.

"Look, it's the castle from yesterday!" Ryuji-san pointed out, looking down at Akira's phone and running to the front door of the castle before actually looking back at him to see him in clothes that were completely unrepresentative of his meek personality.

"T-those clothes…" Ann-san stuttered, pointing at Akira. He noticed the change as soon as they pointed it out and Akira inspected his hands. They were covered in red gloves, just like last time… The clothes weren't something he would wear; it wasn't his style.

"That happened last time too, huh?! What's with that outfit?!" Akira giggled to Ryuji-san sweetly. Okay, maybe it was fine to joke a little bit!

"Are you jealous?"

"I-I'm not," Ryuji-san stuttered. Ann-san chuckled. The boy was at least a _bit_ jealous.

"More importantly, what's going on here? This is crazy, it doesn't make any sense…" Ann-san loudly proclaimed before yelping as a head peaked out from a wall, all of them facing the voice that followed it.

"Hey!" It called out, "Stop making a commotion!"

It was Morgana-san.

"Ah… You?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Morgana crossed his arms as his tail swished back and forth. He lifted his chin high and chortled boldly.

"The guards started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be… To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you _barely_ managed to escape."

"What is this place? Is it the school, or is it a castle?" Morgana-san grinned proudly and professed to Ann-san, "It's a school."

"But it's a _castle!"_ Ryuji-san complained. Morgana-san snapped back. "The castle _is_ the school! But only to this castle's ruler."

Ryuji-san looked at him questioningly as he scratched his head. "The castle's ruler?"

"I think you called him Kamoshida?" Akira nodded in confirmation as Morgana continued speaking, "It's how his distorted heart views the school."

"Kamoshida… Distorted…? Explain it in a way that makes more sense!" Ryuji-san demanded the monster cat. The cat just groaned disapprovingly before aggravating Ryuji-san with a quick yet fatal blow, "I shouldn't have expected a moron to get it…"

 _"What'd you say?!"_ Ryuji-san growled before Ann-san quickly stepped in between them.

"If you guys keep fighting the guards might—"

Screaming. Screaming from inside the castle as the four of them turned their eyes over to the castle walls.

"What was that?!" Ryuji-san shouted. The scream overlayed on top of Ryuji-san and drowned his words out a bit.

"It must be the slaves captive here."

"Y-you mean like the people we saw in those cells?" Morgana-san nodded his head, about to respond to her before another pained scream erupted. It was even louder and more choked out than the last one.

"Oh, shit… It's for real!" Ryuji-san shuddered when the scream continued. Akira was wincing in pain even though he wasn't the one being hurt at _all._ Just the sound of it caused his brain to hurt. "The guys we saw the other day… I'm pretty sure they're from our school."

"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary; it's like that every day here," Morgana-san explained. "What's more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit."

"That son of a bitch!" Ryuji-san cussed, tapping his feet anxiously.

"Ryuji?" Morgana-san questioned.

"This is bullshit!" He screamed again. Ryuji-san slammed his shoulder into the castle's door. "You hear me, _Kamoshida?!"_

"Ryuji, we aren't going to be able to open the door like that…" Ann-san trailed off to him. All of them were getting annoyed, not because of Ryuji-san, but because Kamoshida would even do something like this. The whole situation was still confusing, but what they _did_ know is that Kamoshida was a complete maniac.

"Still, it seems you have your reasons…" Morgana-san lamented. Ryuji-san fled from where the door was and walked back to the group and called out, "Hey, Monamona!"

"It's _Morgana!"_

"Do you know where those voices are comin' from?" The cat looked at Ryuji-san suspiciously. This idiot wasn't going to do what he thought he was going to do… right?

"You want me to take you to them? …Well, I guess I could guide you there. But only if _he_ comes with us along with us, and of course we'll bring along my lady as well," Morgana-san purred, his tail swishing back and forth.

"Umm, why me specifically?" Ryuji-san just looked at Akira _desperately,_ urging him to come with.

"I just want to take a look at your powers. Even if you don't agree, I bet these two would probably go on even if they have to do it alone. Are you going to leave them?" Morgana-san pressured him, gesturing to Ann-san and Ryuji-san. Akira bit the insides of his mouth. No, of course he wouldn't leave them, but…

"…Okay. Okay, let's go then."

Ann-san laughed happily and hugged Akira tight, all of the air in his lungs escaping as she did it.

"You go! You're so cool!" She hollered to him, ruffling his hair.

"H-hey, I'm the one taking you in there!" Morgana-san complained before sighing. Ryuji-san patted Akira on the back in appreciation. "Thanks, man."

Akira smiled back before all of their attention was called back to Morgana.

"All right, let's do this! Follow me!" The cat commanded them. They all nodded, following what Morgana-san would do next. Morgana-san pulled them all to a familiar area.

"This is our infiltration point."

"Isn't this the place we escaped out of last time?" Ann-san questioned. Morgana-san crooned.

"Correct, Lady Ann. Not going barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery."

Ryuji-san croaked out in anger, "How're _we_ supposed to know about that stuff…?"

Morgana-san quickly hopped up to the ledge of the ventilation shaft and looked down at the three of them.

"I'll make sure to teach you as we go. Come on, follow me!" Morgana-san commanded and disappeared into the vent, leaving Akira, Ann-san, and Ryuji-san still down outside of the school/castle.

"So, uh… Sorry for draggin' you into all of this," Ryuji-san apologized. "But, ugh— I just can't forgive that bastard Kamoshida doin' _whatever_ the hell he wants! Really though. Thanks for comin' along. I owe you big time!"

Akira felt his cheeks grow red as Ann-san started to go up the barrel on the side and jumped into the ventilation shaft.

"I owe you, also! Me and Ryuji are here for our own reason, but… Thanks, Akira. Now, hurry up you idiots! Morgana's waiting!" Ann called out.

Akira and Ryuji-san looked at each other before quickly jumping up and crawling through the tight area. They dropped down into the central hall. Morgana-san and Ann-san looked straight at them as Akira gracefully landed on his feet but Ryuji-san almost tripped over.

"Man, this place is creepy…" Ryuji-san breathed out while he balanced himself. He wasn't lying; it was definitely creepy. Akira would like to be out of here as soon as possible, but he knew with Ann-san and Ryuji-san, it wouldn't be so easy. They're very curious.

"Mmhm. Now, make sure you do exactly as I say, all right? Follow me!" Morgana-san whisper-yelled at them. They all nodded, following as Morgana-san made a turn to the right. They were in the front, right where the entrance to the castle is.

"This is where we came in from the last time… Ugh, I don't like thinking about being pummeled by the guards…" Ann-san groaned, playing with one of her pigtails. Ryuji-san crossed his arms, "You've got that right. This place effin' stinks…"

As soon as he said that, they all watched as it distorted to the school and then watched it revert to a castle again. Akira lifted his mask and rubbed in between his eyes as Ryuji-san complained loudly once again, "See? This place _stinks._ It's turnin' into Shujin."

"I told you before. This place _is_ your school. Regardless, we don't have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up…" Morgana-san addressed, his feet scampering across the ground as he dragged them down a familiar and horrendously long set of stairs. Walking up them was a pain, walking down them was even worse because he was scared that a single misstep and he'd be kissing the floor and also his teeth goodbye.

They made it down only to hide at the sight of a guard. Akira hated those dumb things.

"Shoot… I had a feeling there would be guards here…" Morgana-san yowled as he stared at the _thing_ posted and walked around back and forth. The cat quickly flicked his head back to Akira. "It looks like we're going to have to start fighting our way forward."

"E-eh, f-for real…?" Ryuji-san whimpered with the memories of his ass being completely beaten up by these metal pieces of crap.

"Oh boy… I'll just teach you the basics of battle for now. You'd better not forget all of this. Always try to _ambush_ enemies instead of rushing everywhere headlong. Attack from behind _whenever_ you can," Morgana-san explained to them. Akira listened in carefully, taking in every single instruction, and storing it inside of his mind. "You'll need to rip their masks off to momentarily break the control that the Palace ruler has over them. If you succeed, your opponent will be caught off guard, allowing us to jump in for a preemptive attack."

"So, jump onto them and get the first strike before they notice… Okay, I've got it! I've stored all of that information in my brain!" Ann-san pumped her fist. Morgana-san looked back at her and grinned sheepishly.

"Umm, sorry Lady Ann; you're gonna be watching. Both of you guys don't have a Persona…" Morgana-san nudged against Akira. Akira blew his bangs out of his face and tightened the gloves on his hands. Well, it was either now or never.

Akira quickly ran for the guard and jumped onto it, yanking the mask off of its face with grace as he flipped off of it. They were weak, quickly ending it with a quick slash from his knife as Morgana-san pummeled them with his curved sword.

They crossed across the drawbridge, only to realize that all of the cells and cages were _empty._ Nobody was there.

"Why ain't anyone here…?" Ryuji-san questioned, running off and looking into the cages. He grit his teeth and kicked a pebble on the ground. "Dammit, they were here before! Where'd they go?!"

"Quiet down!" Morgana-san scolded him. Ann-san quickly started jogging off, calling out to them as she did, "There were more of them further down!" Ryuji-san quickly ran with her, side by side. Akira sighed as Morgana-san looked at them run off.

"They might have been transferred already…"

Akira's eyes suddenly went wide and on the defense when he heard the familiar clanking of metal. He could almost hear Ann-san and Ryuji-san freeze up at the sound as they loudly expressed their concern.

"Oh, crap— I can hear footsteps comin'! Lots of 'em!" Ryuji-san cussed. Ann-san quickly made their way back to Akira and Morgana-san, Ryuji-san followed a bit behind.

"It would be a problem if they discovered us now…" Morgana-san mused as the sound of footsteps came closer, sounding like chains hitting each other over and over. Morgana-san quickly dragged them in front of a door. Akira was tired, he'd probably be sweating if he ran anymore.

"Hey, let's head into this room. We should be able to hide in there until they leave," Morgana-san instructed them. They all pushed on the door and ran inside, Ryuji-san's hands on his knees with Ann-san slumping down onto one of the benches, fanning herself with her hand.

"The Shadows probably won't come in here," Akira looked Morgana worriedly and a bit exasperated as he cleaned his outfit of dust, "Probably…?"

"How can you tell, Morgana…?" Ann-san continued to fan herself and take deep breaths. Ryuji-san wasn't worse for wear, panting like a dog with sweat beading down his head. Morgana-san's tail swished back and forth as he looked around the room. "There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak."

The room started pulsating between the castle's decor and the school's environment. Akira was starting to get what Morgana-san meant by a 'lack of distortion.'

"Is this a classroom?" Ryuji-san asked with wide eyes. Morgana-san grinned at the boy, "Now do you understand? This place is another reality that the ruler's heart projects."

"This is Kamoshida's reality? Shit makes _no_ sense at all!" Ryuji-san barked. Morgana-san continued although Ryuji-san still didn't understand the basics of it.

"One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized… I call such a place, a 'Palace.'"

"Ah, so I _was_ right. You _do_ call this place a Palace. Good to know…" Akira voiced out. Ann-san looked at him with wide eyes.

"H-how the hell can you figure this stuff out so quickly…?" Ann-san's mouth gaped. She's always surprised to learn new things about Akira. The boy shrugged and trailed his eyes across the walls

"This place is weird, b-but even a little bit of logic comes into place… M-Morgana-san called this a Palace before, so I sort of just assumed…" Akira wandered off. There were also his weird dreams telling him nonsensical things, so _definitely_ those helped him as well.

"This happens because Kamoshida thinks that the school is his own castle," Morgana-san continued to explain further. This intrigued Akira _immensely._ He was always interested in subjects like psychology and cognition, but to think something like this existed was amazing.

"So, it became like this 'cause he just _thought_ of it like that?! Haha… Ha ha ha… _That son of a bitch!"_ Ryuji-san raged. Morgana-san had a bit of sympathy in his voice, "You must really hate this Kamoshida guy."

 _"Hate_ doesn't even _cover_ how I feel," the boy seethed. Ann-san crossed her arms.

"He's a perverted asshole… Everything's his damn fault," she interjected. Morgana-san looked between both Ann-san and Ryuji-san and put his hands on his hips.

"I don't know what happened between you guys and Kamoshida, but don't let your emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are everywhere inside," Morgana-san reported to the two of them before looking at Akira. "You're curious about your outfit, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm curious as hell about it too." Ryuji-san calmed down and eyed Akira-san. He suddenly felt _very_ uncomfortable to be wearing this. He liked it but it just didn't feel like it was _him._

"That's also because of this world."

"More stuff that makes no sense…" Ryuji-san replied, frowning at that single sentence. 'This world' would be the end of Ryuji-san; mentally.

"Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his Palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion," Morgana-san explained. "Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It's the image of rebellion that you hold within."

 _"But that makes no sense though. This doesn't look like what I'd consider rebellious."_ Akira thought, tugging at his tailcoat and fiddling with the golden buttons on it.

"But, I don't know about Akira… I've only known him for a short amount of time, but I don't think this costume, uh, fits him…" Ann was right. The clothes looked big on him and they were baggy on him. Akira didn't give off the aura of a gentleman thief like Arsène.

"That's odd. Usually, Personas are supposed to reflect yourself, whether it's who you want to be or how you think you are. You embrace your image of rebellion— yourself. But in your case, I can see why your Persona is mismatched. Maybe it was the circumstance you awoke to it…?" Morgana-san tried to think about why Akira was the way he was, but he couldn't find an answer.

"Um, well, all of us were about to be executed. I-I've never been courageous or have wanted to save someone so desperately, but before I knew it I was already doing it," Akira explained. "It feels… weird. I-It's not that I don't like Arsène, he's great! It's just that, well…"

"He doesn't fit you?" Ryuji-san finished for him. Akira nodded.

"Yeah, exactly that."

Morgana-san nodded his head and came up with a theory. "…You probably awoke to your Persona out of a need instead of a want. You needed to save your friends. It's not a bad thing, it just shows you have a good heart. You like helping people, but the situation it appeared in isn't your true character. How interesting…"

"It's great that you want to study me more, but we should probably move on…" Akira didn’t want to dawdle on this subject any longer. Well, guess it answers why he doesn't feel comfortable like this.

"Yeah, what's more interesting is you. What the hell _are_ you _anyway?!"_ Ryuji-san pointed straight at Morgana.

"I'm a human! An honest to god human!" Morgana-san replied. Ann-san eyed him suspiciously.

"Sorry Morgana, but you look more like a _cat_ than anything…" Ann-san admitted the truth to him. Morgana-san looked at her, betrayed, and beaten. His lips opened up and down but nothing came out. Morgana-san shook his head rapidly, crossed his arms, and pouted.

"That's because— Well… It's because I lost my true form." Morgana-san's ears pointed down and his tail drooped down onto the table, fiddling with his paws as he looked up at them. "I think…"

"You _think_ so?" Ann-san asked him confusedly.

"But I do know how to get it back," Morgana answered them. "The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means."

"Until you got caught." Akira pointed out. Morgana-san winced and awkwardly turned his gaze away from Akira, embarrassed.

"Well, yeah… But besides that, I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm gonna make him pay for sure!"

"What is this, a comic book?" Ryuji-san grumbled in astonishment, still trying to grasp onto this absurd situation. "This is seriously crazy—"

"If we're gonna keep going, we should hurry along," Morgana told them. Ann-san yawned and slumped further into her seat, wanting to save the sweet feeling of relaxation.

"I'll be counting on your skills this time too, rookie. Got it?" Morgana-san told Akira. Ryuji-san suddenly started fiddling with his back pocket.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so…"

A gun. He pulled out a _gun._ Akira gasped out in shock, tripping over his feet and fell butt-first onto the floor.

"It's only a model gun, don't worry!" Ryuji-san calmed down the frazzled Akira who was staring straight at the gun. Akira swore Ryuji-san was going to give him a heart attack at some point. "I brought it just in case. It only makes sounds though."

"That's just a toy, isn't it?" Ann-san asked. Ryuji-san smiled at her.

"Yeah, but it'll totally fake 'em out! I mean, even Akira thought it was real!" Akira ran his hands over his face and didn't bother getting up, his legs crossed over each other as something dawned on him.

"P-please don't tell me you've been keeping that in your p-pocket the entire time…" Akira prayed to god that this boy wasn't carrying a model gun that looked _realisti_ c in his pocket the entire time they were at school.

"I, uh— Well—"

"Oh my… you did, didn't you?" Akira him. Ryuji-san looked away and grabbed something else out of his pocket quickly before Akira could ask him anything more.

"A-anyways— I also brought some medicine! Y'know what they say, uh— 'Providing is pre… something.' Eh? _Ehh?"_ Ryuji looked at them, waving the gun and the medicine around in front of them.

"So you _were_ planning this from the start, Ryuji…" Ann-san crossed her arms. Ryuji-san sputtered and accused her.

"Well, you wanted to come also, so who cares?!"

"Ugh, when you guys are done resting up, we'll resume our infiltration." Morgana-san sighed as Ryuji-san held out a hand and pulled Akira back up to his feet, handing him the medicine.

"I'll keep the gun on me for now," Ryuji-san told him. Akira agreed vehemently, shaking his head and denying the existence of the gun. Yes, please, keep the gun by _all means necessary._

"There are probably still sentries making their rounds out there. Let's use this time to hash out our current situation," Morgana-san said. Akira nodded, sitting down at the table while Ryuji-san leaned against the wall. Akira began to speak.

"The, um, medicine is also helpful in case we get injured. It's best to just continue and pray that the worst doesn't happen…" Akira explained to them, "I'm by no means powerful, but the creatures here aren't either."

"We should head outside if our game plan is to just rest up and head out. Our plan is that we _have_ no plan. The soldiers should still be outside, so we should be cautious and just get out of here," Morgana-san recommended. Akira nodded, heading for the door handle and looking back at the others for their confirmation. Ann-san flipped her legs off of the bench and stood up as Ryuji-san stretched his arms out.

"Come on, let's go," Akira instructed them. Before he opened the door, he heard voices. Akira quickly put up his hand and pressed his ear against the thick wooden door. He was able to hear the conversation, although it was slightly muffled.

"Hm, I thought I just heard something move over there… Guess it was just my imagination," the guard said. Akira bit his lip, looking at the others with a finger up to his mouth.

"And what of the slaves?"

"They're in the training hall. I'd assume they're screaming in pain by now," the guard responded and laughed cruelly. Training hall…

"Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard." He heard. Akira heard the clunking of footsteps and waited until he couldn't hear them anymore before slowly creaking the door open and stepping out.

"You heard that, right?" Morgana-san asked. You could hear the joy in his voice. Ann nodded.

"Something about a training hall…? I couldn't catch all of it," Ann-san admitted. Akira and Morgana-san nodded at her.

"I think that's just a little further ahead. Let's go."

Akira groaned and started running after them. He needed to start working out again if he was going to be running like this…

A guard was there, but before Morgana-san could say anything Akira was already hopping onto the back of the clunky piece of armor and ripped its mask off. Morgana-san sputtered before quickly running into the battle as it diverged into a sloppy mess of red and black, forming into some weird flower looking things.

"Arsène!" Akira shouted, his Persona casting an Eiha. Morgana-san clicked his tongue and went in for the kill, stabbing his sword straight through one of them and it cried out as it dissolved and faded away.

"The hell do you think you're doin— Wahh!" Morgana-san cried out, narrowly missing an attack. Akira quickly ran in with a follow-up, jumping up and slamming his knife down onto the creature.

"Garu!" Morgana-san shouted. It was over. Morgana-san turned his face over to Akira and yelled at him, "You could've made the security level rise like that! Jeez, just— I'll compile some information on it for you. If it rises, you can bring it back down if you take down more guards without getting noticed. If it reaches one-hundred, we're screwed. Be sure to read it, _okay?"_

"S-sorry. Umm, got it!" Akira stuttered, his cheeks heating up from embarrassment as he kept going for the training hall.

They quickly made their way down only for Akira to flail his arms and pull everyone backward when he noticed a few guards up ahead.

"Hey, have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?" One of the guards asked his colleague.

"No, nobody yet…" They responded. Akira peeked his head out a bit to look at what they were doing, watching the two of them communicate and give information about them.

"Shoot… I had a feeling there would be a lot of enemies. It'd be impossible to dodge all of them," Akira huffed at Morgana's words and continued to stare at the guards and not take his eyes off of them as Ryuji-san spoke up.

"Then, what do we do? Should we try and take 'em out like before?" Morgana-san huffed at Ryuji-san's question and shook his head. "It's not that simple. We still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy."

"I-I see… Sorry… Dammit, I wish I could fight! I'd at least be able to help out a little bit," Ryuji-san beat himself up. Akira looked back at Ryuji-san with a soft smile on his face, "Don't be sorry, we're going to have to get past these guards _somehow_ though."

"All I got is this damn toy from earlier… Hah, I'm such a loser." Ryuji-san groaned. Morgana-san flicked his head back to the boy and Akira looked at the human-turned-cat suspiciously. He could see the light bulb of inspiration hanging over the feline's head.

"Huh, do you mean that gun?"

"Yeah… It looks real n' all but it doesn't shoot anything…" Ryuji-san took the gun out of his pocket and showed it off again. Akira took it into his hand and inspected it. Morgana-san snickered and turned his head back over to the guards, "I see… Well, there is a way! Okay, we'll use that to take down the enemies!"

"Uh, didn't you just hear him, Morgana? He said it doesn't shoot anything."

Ann-san watched Morgana-san continue to smile as Akira started to sweat bullets. The guard's footsteps were coming closer to where they are, knowing the inevitable was coming.

"Don't worry, I'm sure this'll work. Attack away, Shortie!"

"D-dude, wait! I keep sayin' it's not gonna fire anything!" Ryuji-san called out but Akira already took a gulp of air and bolted out of his cover, smashing his gloved hand into it as he backflipped out, watching it turn into two enemies. Morgana gave a lopsided grin and invited Akira to do his worse to the things in front of them. "You have the gun with you, right? Point it at a Shadow and fire!"

Akira aimed with one hand. It was light since it's a toy, but Akira practically screamed when he pressed down on the trigger and a bullet shot out. Once Akira shook off the backlash and the recoil that this was an _actual gun,_ he unloaded the entire mag on one of the Shadows; a jack-o-lantern looking one.

"How about that? Surprised?" Morgana-san asked him. "There are plenty of instances where rapid fire's going to be more useful than swinging your knife."

"Of course, you can run out of ammo, but using it all up does more good than letting it collect dust!" He told him before pulling a comically large slingshot out of _nowhere_ and aiming it at the last Shadow. "All right, I'll show you my weapon too!"

He fired it _fast,_ fast as a bullet and the Shadow was down. Akira looked at him with wide eyes at his skills. How does _anybody_ use a slingshot that fast?

 _"I-I guess it just takes practice?"_ Akira convinced himself, not wanting to ask and also not wanting to know the answer, either.

Ryuji-san and Ann-san ran up to both of them with their jaws unhinged and gaping at the two of them. Akira seemed to shrug for what seemed to be the hundredth time today.

"Did that just shoot _BULLETS?!"_ Ann-san asked Morgana-san. Morgana-san laughed haughtily and crossed his arms. "Well, as long as our opponents see the gun as the real thing, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic-looking."

Ryuji-san stayed silent for a few seconds and tried to process the information but he really couldn't, so he looked at Morgana-san with scrunched up eyebrows, "…I don't get it."

"Because they recognize it as a gun, your ammo capacity is limited in battle. But your enemies are expecting you to come at them guns loaded, so your ammo's replenished in every new fight."

Akira took the gun in his hand again and was about to test it out on the wall, but a bigger opportunity came in.

"What's this commotion over here…?" The guard from earlier walked down and turned only to see the four of them sitting over the ashes of it's fallen comrade. "Wha—?! Why, you bastards!"

"Get ready! Here comes another one!" Morgana-san shouted at them, Ryuji-san and Ann-san moving behind the two of them as the guard convulsed.

"Our ammo's replenished! Go on, dump in into the enemy!"

Akira smiled and pointed his gun right at the Shadow, quickly flicking the safety off of it and shooting it rapidly. The fight was over as quick as it had started.

Morgana-san nodded his head in contentment, "Just like I thought, all our ammo had returned for this fight."

"I wasn't sure whether or not to bring it at first, but I'm sure glad I did," Ryuji-san said. Ann-san smiled at him and elbowed him in the side playfully.

"Yeah, good on you, Ryuji!" Akira nodded in agreement, trying to hide the smile on his face and he clipped the security back onto it and weighed it in his hand.

"We're lucky to have the additional firearm on our arsenal. I must say, well done— even if it was just dumb luck that it worked here," Morgana-san told him. Ryuji-san gave him a funky look with his hands on his hips, "Did you really have to say it like that?"

"Quit griping, you're still getting praised," Morgana-san had said. Akira put his hand up hesitantly after he finished what he was saying. When Morgana-san noticed, he gestured over to Akira for him to say what he wanted.

"Um, how did you make that big slingshot appear out of nowhere if you don't mind me asking…"

Morgana-san thought for a while, a long 'hmmm' coming out his mouth before his eyes landed on Akira's. "Well, I guess I can teach you this. You seem to be more aware of the idea of cognition. If you think of it and believe in it, it'll come true in your mind. I think about my slight shot being stored in a pocket dimension, so once I'm done with it, I think about putting it there. It's hard but— What the hell?!"

Akira already seemed to make his gun disappear. Ann-san and Ryuji-san looked at Akira who looked equally surprised.

"Wait! Let's imagine a shared pocket dimension, Morgana-san. That way we can both pull out stuff that we need," Akira informed and shoved in the medicine Ryuji-san gave him in it as well. Morgana-san looked at him with his mouth wide open and slowly closed it before nodding.

They both went into their pocket dimension and picked out each other's weapons. Akira with Morgana-san's slingshot and Morgana-san with Akira's handgun.

"This is crazy…" Ann-san murmured. Akira shrugged and put everything back in. He shoved his knife into it as well.

"Easy transportation, I guess," Akira said, wiping his hands on his coat.

"I-I didn't expect you to pick it up so fast, nonetheless think of a shared picket dimension… Oh well, I guess you're smarter than you let on."

"What's that supposed to mean…?" Akira questioned him only for Morgana-san to ignore him and continue his train of thought, "Oh, by the way, we should decide how to divvy up roles in battle from here on out. As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It'll be important to coordinate our moves well. I can keep providing intel for us, but you should decide how we fight Shortie."

"Whaddya mean by 'how we fight'?" Ryuji-san asked.

"Basically, what we do in battle. He can order us directly, or let us decide what we do." Morgana-san explained. "…Though, I guess I'm the only other one fighting right now. What's the plan? Want me following orders, or acting on my own?"

"Well, it's best if we coordinate, right? So um, orders."

"Understood! Let's see what you've got then, Shortie."

Killing the guards was an extremely easy task, just a fast shooting of his gun and they were all down.

"Crap, it's another guard… Are you guys going to take it down again just like last time?" Ann-san's soles had loose pebbles crammed in them for all the running around she did in this place.

"It's our only choice. But wait, this might be a good time… Okay, I've decided! I'm gonna teach you three a special way to fight enemies!"

"Is it a new technique…?" Akira asked. Morgana-san nodded, "Something like that! Let's go!"

A single floating Shadow with wings. Morgana-san explained to him step by step on what to do. He knocked the Shadow down with his gun, one quick and pin-point accurate bullet landing straight on the enemy as it fell to the ground.

"All right! Now rush on in for an All-Out Attack!"

"An All-Out Attack—" But before Akira could finish his sentence, his legs were instinctively moving even though he didn't get what the heck an All-Out Attack even implied, but he was already jumping into the enemy, both of them completely slicing the enemy up brutally.

Akira landed on his feet and fixed his gloves as the enemy spewed out blood. Morgana-san smiled at him, a cheeky expression on his face as the feline waved his arms back and forth. "Mm, that went really well! You're fit for this."

"What was that _SUPER MOVE_ thing you just did?!" Ryuji-san asked with wide eyes.

"I told you, it's called an All-Out Attack! If you manage to knock all the enemies down, you might be able to use it to beat them all at once," he explained. Ann-san chuckled nervously, "Uh, yeah. That was over pretty quick."

"Well, it is a concentrated attack on defenseless enemies, Lady Ann," Morgana-san said. "You should all remember this well."

"I think— I think I need to start working out more…" Akira huffed, his hands on his knees. That was a lot of jumping and a lot of smashing, slicing, and hitting. Akira always considered himself to be pretty fit with a lot of stamina, but it didn't seem to be that way now that he thought about it.

"You just need to rest a little bit, but as I mentioned before, I want you to be the head of command. You can decide when we use this move." Akira wiped the sweat off his brow and looked over his way, pointing at himself and panted heavily. 

"H-huh? Me? How come…?" Akira asked. Morgana-san stood there for a second and put a paw up to his chin.

"It's hard to explain, but I feel something in you. You have a lot of potential, I think. You seem pretty well rounded already when it comes to combat, so I hope you'll use this to your advantage," Morgana-san told him. Akira nodded, pushing his hair back with sweat sticking on his hand. His hair slicked out slightly before puffing up to its usual puffy state.

The door just in front led to another door, the training hall. Or, was the banner said hanging above it—

"Kamoshida's… Training Hall… of Love? What kinda bullshit is this?!" Ryuji-san questioned the bold red kanji and hiragana on the banner.

"It's entertaining, I guess. Of love, though…? Seriously?" Ann-san groaned as Akira pushed the door open. Staircases, more staircases. Akira was debating on just jumping down them at this point since he was so tired. He'd heal up if he got hurt, it's fine. But what was more 'entertaining' were the sounds of groans, shrieks, yells, and whips.

"This voice… Where's it comin' from…?" Ryuji-san asked. Akira could see that Ann-san had visible goosebumps on her skin. She was covered head to toe in clothing, but whenever the jacket slid down slightly, he could see the small bumps covering her forearm.

Akira walked closer and closer, his movement became stiffer and stiffer.

"Oh crap, it's comin' from over there…!" Ryuji-san quivered as they all approached the obscure and odd scene in front of them. It was weird and it was gross, everything felt out of place.

Four guards and four students, all of them put in pairs as the students in their athletic wear were leaned up against the volleyball net, the guards harshly whipping into them. It looked like their legs were about to collapse at any second.

Ann-san went pale, her hands covered her mouth as she tried to contain the fear she was feeling. Ryuji-san was filled with anger while Morgana-san was relatively emotionless.

"Dammit! This is _bullshit!"_ Ryuji-san screamed at the scene, his fists clenched up as he ground his teeth together.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?!" Morgana-san scolded him. Ryuji-san looked at what was in front of him closer, sucking it up like a sponge before turning to Morgana-san.

"But this is _beyond_ messed up! How do I open this?!" Ryuji-san asked. Ann-san was still silent. Akira didn't know what to say or what to do. Should he feel attachment? _Should he care?_

"Stop it…!" A weak and faint voice said, walking in front of the cage. Akira realized who these were. They were the members of the volleyball team. "Leave us alone… It's useless…"

"What do you mean it's useless?!" Ann-san's voice quivered as she looked at them angrily. Another one appeared out of nowhere, speaking to them with one hand clenched onto the inner elbow of his arm.

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!" He said. Ryuji-san's hand went up to the bars separating them and growled back, "You're tellin' me you wanna _stay_ in a place like this?!"

"Wait a minute…" Morgana-san started. "Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?"

"We can't just leave 'em here!" Ryuji-san argued. Morgana-san just sighed and crossed his arms, looking at Ryuji-san as if he were an idiot.

"How stupid can you be?"

"What?!"

"These are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition. They aren't _real_ humans that have entered from reality. They're different from you three." Morgana-san explained. Cognitive versions of what Kamoshida thinks about them…

"Cognition…?" Ryuji-san questioned. Ann-san stopped shivering at this point and she took on a burning desire and rage he had never seen before. Her eyes looked intense.

"It means there's no point in saving them! They're different from the _real_ ones in the _real_ world." Akira turned his head from Morgana-san and continued looking at the abuse happening in front of them with a concerned face. These aren't real people. But even if they aren't real people, this means that Kamoshida sees the real people as slaves and trash. "You could say that these are extremely similar-looking dolls."

"The hell?! Why's it gotta be so complicated?!" Ryuji-san fumed before chuckling to himself. "So the school's a castle, and the students are slaves… It's so on point that it makes me laugh. This really _is_ the inside of that asshole's head!"

Morgana-san walked over to the bars of the cage and looked over them. Ryuji-san followed him too. Akira struggled to not flinch every single time he heard the guard slam down that whip onto the students. "Still, this is horrible. It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too."

"In the real world too? Wait, I know these guys…" Ryuji-san mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. Who were these people…? They looked so familiar. Ann-san clamped her eyes shut and cradled her body, answering Ryuji-san's question, "They're members of the volleyball team."

Ryuji-san looked at her as she continued to speak. "Shiho's on the volleyball team…"

"Shit…" Ryuji-san cussed. Morgana-san gave more insight into the situation. Akira's mouth felt extremely dry.

"They must be physically abused every day… There's no way they'd be so beat up normally."

"Don't tell me… They're going through similar shit in reality?!" Ryuji-san questioned. Morgana-san's ears were pointed down as they all continued looking, "Most likely. I mean, this proves that Kamoshida thinks of them as slaves."

"It's real… I know it's real, _I know it._ Those injuries on Shiho aren't normal," Ann-san started to say.

"Suzui-san… All of them are in trouble. I heard that Kamoshida's usin' physical punishment, but those were just rumors. But now…" Ryuji-san started saying, slamming his fist on the bars. "We can use these guys as evidence and talk to the police. If all goes well, we can take down that asshole Kamoshida!"

Ryuji-san took out his phone and held it up, only for him to struggle. "…Huh? It's not workin'! We can use the navigation app but the camera's a no go?!"

"A navigation app?" Morgana-san questioned. Ryuji-san continued to fiddle with his phone as he responded.

"That's what we used to come here. Hey, what about you? Ann, Akira?" Ryuji-san asked them. Akira pulled out his phone and tried going onto his camera app. It wouldn't open up, no matter how many times he pressed on the application.

"It's not working…" Ann-san muttered. Morgana-san quickly told them, "Whatever you do is fine, but we're gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!"

"Hang on a sec! There's no other way… I'll just memorize their faces before goin' home! Ann, you get the left. I'll get the right." Ryuji-san was already looking through the bars and studying their faces.

"All right," Ann-san said, looking straight at the bars and looking intensely. Once they were done, they started to keep going, checking the other cells around the area for more evidence.

They ran across a student being held upside-down from a rope with a cannon pelting volleyballs straight at their face. It would be comedic if this wasn't something that was probably happening to the real person. The boy cried in pain loudly, begging for it to stop.

"The hell…? This ain't trainin' at all… It's just violence!" Ryuji-san shouted. "This means he's been doin' something similar in reality too, right…? Damn that bastard…!"

"I memorized their faces already. Let's keep going… I want to see if I can find Shiho in all of this," Ann-san agonized and headed off without them. The rest of them ran after her and came across the next cell of torture.

"W-water… Urgh… Please, no more…" A male volleyball student said. They were running on a treadmill with a spiked cylinder right behind them. If they faltered, they would slam right into it and die.

"Not givin' athletes water even for tough trainin' is a common thing in the real world too… That sack of shit…! I'm gonna try and memorize all these guys' faces before we go back…" Ryuji-san cussed. It took awhile for him to memorize them, Morgana was getting anxious.

"Hey, are you done yet?! We're cutting it close here!" Morgana-san told him. Ryuji-san's flung his face back at not-cat.

"Don't freak me out like that, you goddamn moron! Anyways, I got all of 'em!"

Ann-san jumped up and down in place. "Then we need to hurry up! I'm getting a bad feeling…"

Morgana-san nodded and agreed with her, "We need to scram! Let's go!"

They exited the training hall and they were running out. "We're back! We just have to get out of here, quick!" Ann-san yelled. All of them turning in the direction of a distorted guard's voice.

"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!"

They hid when they spotted a guard pop out and covered a drawbridge. More security, which means more fighting, which is annoying. Morgana grit his teeth. "Tch, we've stayed here too long… Come on, let's get out of here!"

They were heading out, looking at the front door of the castle. Akira was filled with relief, running closer and closer to it, but they were stopped.

Kamoshida. Kamoshida with guards, a golden one standing at his side. The guard captain, proud and shiny. The king groaned, "Ugh… You knaves again? To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

"The school ain't your castle!" Ryuji-san talked back. "We've memorized their faces _real good._ You're goin' down!"

"It seems it's true when they say 'barking dogs seldom bite.' How far the star runner of the track team has fallen," Kamoshida insulted.

"The hell are you gettin' at?!" Ryuji-san yelled at him. Akira was preparing for a fight, wiping away his sweat and taking a defensive stance. Something was going to happen and Akira wasn't going to like it one bit.

"I speak of the 'Track Traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams," Kamoshida smirked. "Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your… Selfish act."

"Ngh…" Ryuji-san said, looking away from Kamoshida's gaze. Akira looked straight at Kamoshida and responded in confusion. "V-violence…?"

"Oh, what a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all?" Akira bit his lip before whispering to Ann-san. "Ann-san, do you know anything about this?"

She looked away, but she nodded. How much of this was true? How much of this was a _lie?_ He couldn't tell, but from the way they were acting it seemed as if the man's words hit too close to home.

"He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever."

"That not true…!" Ryuji-san argued back, but it wasn't as intense as before. He was losing his flame, his desire to fight back.

 _"This isn't good…"_ Akira thought as Kamoshida kept spewing out word garbage. Akira didn't know if he should listen to these words or not because all of these words came from a pathological liar.

"What a tragedy… You blindly trusted this fool, and he's led you right to your death." Kamoshida cackled and started to walk away, instructing his sentries, "Hurry up and dispose of them. I can't stand their stench."

The guards erupted into a Shadow he hadn't seen before, two-horned horses. A bi-corn, maybe…?

"Goddammit…" Ryuji-san cussed, shaking off his wimpy stature and clenching his fists. The Shadows walked closer to them, Morgana-san and Akira standing front and center to protect the other two.

"Ryuji, Ann, move!" Morgana-san said as they took the blunt force of the Shadows coming up onto them.

They were surrounded, three of these things encircled them. Akira was sweating, he was sweating hard. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he pulled out his knife from thin air, his gun in the other hand. This was a life or death situation, and he could feel the weight of all of his actions pushing down on his shoulders.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you 'cause King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill 'cause that's what he wants!" The Shadow neighed to them, the loud voice ringing and hurting his ears.

They lunged at them, Akira taking out his gun and shooting as fast as he could, but they still ended up ramming into them. Morgana-san had his slingshot out, firing it at incredible speed. They took one down, only for another one to come speeding in.

"There's more of them? This is bad…" Morgana-san mewled out. One of the creatures rushed Morgana-san, Akira quickly pocketing his items and reaching out to pull Morgana aside but he wasn't fast enough. He fell to the ground.

Akira was panting, his grip on his knife tight as he guarded himself as best as he could to minimize the damage. Before he knew it, he was falling to the ground. He tried pulling himself up, but his body was too weak. There was no way he could get up.

Kamoshida slammed his foot down on Morgana-san's body to keep him still, a guard landing his foot in the middle of Akira's back, the poor boy grunting out in pain, he struggled, flailing his body around only for the guard to press down harder. Akira could swear the guard was going to break his ribs.

"Rgh… You piece of—" Morgana-san hissed out in pain and anger. Akira pulled his head up to see Ryuji-san on his knees and Ann-san tried to make him get up, but he wouldn't budge. Kamoshida laughed at him.

"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn't that right?" He asked. Ryuji-san shook his head softly, but his voice was still defiant. It was losing its heat though. "No…"

"Ryuji, come on! We have to go, we have to help them!" Ann-san tried to urge him on. Ryuji-san did nothing. Ann-san was starting to lose hope too. This was the end.

"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly… How dare you raise your hand at me." Kamoshida licked his lips and stepped off of Morgana-san, another guard's foot taking his place. "Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?"

 _It clicked._ Everything clicked in Akira's head at that moment. The reason why Ryuji-san was so adamant about going here, the reason why he hated Kamoshida so much… _He was a victim, too._

"That wasn't no practice— it was physical abuse! You just didn't _like_ our team!" Ryuji-san screamed, slamming his fists on the ground and collapsing over, his face scrunched up in pain. Kamoshida continued to speak haughtily, putting himself up on a pedestal he never deserved.

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me! The coach who got fired was hopeless too… Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg."

Messed up. This was messed up. A chill went through Akira's spine when Kamoshida crouched down to look at Akira's face, squeezing his cheeks as he looked at the boy.

"What…?" Ryuji-san exhaled out, lifting his face to meet Kamoshida's. The man kept talking as he squeezed Akira's face harder and harder. It _hurt._

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway! Or, I can break your friends… He has a criminal record after all, nobody would question it," Kamoshida threatened. Akira choked out in pain when he felt the guard pressing down on his back put pressure on his leg.

Kamoshida looked into Akira's eyes and whispered into his voice, a low voice that nobody else would hear except for him. Akira froze at the words he said. Kamoshida pulled his mouth open and slipped his thumb inside Akira's mouth, pressing it up against Akira tongue. He was going to barf, he was going to _throw up._

"Or… You can pay me in a different way. You have such pretty eyes… I've never seen men this way before, but you're the exception. I wonder what you'd look like sucking my cock…"

He bit down. He bit down hard, gnawing on the man's thumb as he cried out and pain before swiftly kicking him in the face to make Akira let go, Akira crying out in pain. He could feel the blood trickle down his nose, his skin pale and clammy as Kamoshida growled at him. "You insolent brat!"

"Akira!" Morgana-san shouted out, struggling at the pressure holding him down. He felt so _useless._

"Dammit…! Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore, but the track team is also gone too 'cause of this asshole… Now I've got you guys caught up in this too!" Ryuji-san's voice quivered.

"Ryuji…" Ann-san comforted him, looking at Akira. She wanted to help him and Akira knew that, but they _couldn't._

"So that's why…" Morgana-san breathed out. Morgana-san cried out in pain when the guard pressed his foot into him harder, grinding his heel into him.

"Once these two are dealt with… You two are next. Takamaki will be my _personal_ slave." Kamoshida laughed at the prospect, the imagery of having Ann by his side and at his bidding, Ryuji-san's and Morgana-san's dead body hanging off to the side. And Akira would be… He'd be…

"Ryuji! Ann!" Morgana-san cried out. Ann-san grit her teeth and stayed down, not knowing what to do. This was it.

Something overcame Akira. He felt confident, his voice wasn't stuttering at all when he spoke clearly.

"Are you just going to let him win?" Akira choked out. He could feel the blood trickle down onto his lips, his tongue swiping over them and getting that odd metallic taste in his mouth. "Stand up for yourself! Are you that _weak?"_

Ryuji-san looked up at Akira with newfound determination. Ann-san backed away, feeling weak. She didn't know why she was feeling so hopeless when Ryuji-san was standing up and fighting.

"…You're right," Ryuji-san choked out. "Everything that was important to me was taken by him… I'll never get 'em back!"

"Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you."

Ryuji-san stood up slowly. Akira could see it, that spark of fire lighting up inside of him, that same determination he saw earlier. "No… That's what you are…"

"All you think about is using people… You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" Ryuji-san stood up straight and his eyes focused on the one person he hates the most in this world. He walked closer to them. Kamoshida cradled his thumb that was covered in bite marks and grit his teeth.

"What are you doing? Silence him!" Kamoshida yelled. Ryuji-san pointed his finger at him, strong and unshaken as he yelled.

 _"Stop lookin' down on me with that_ stupid _smile on your face!"_

**_"You made me wait quite a while."_ **

Akira heard it. He heard Ryuji-san's inner self speak, the teen's eyes shot open, bloodshot as a hand shot up to his head. He knew what was coming, he could see the pain he was in…

"A-aagh! Argh—" Ryuji-san cried out, both of his hands clenching down onto his dyed hair, his knees dropping to the ground with a loud thud.

**_"You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus…"_ **

Ryuji-san was rolling in the ground in pain, sweat dripping down his entire body and drool flowing down the corners of his mouth. He was screaming his lungs out, and Akira had never seen anything so beautiful before.

**_"I am thou, thou art I… There is no turning back… The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"_ **

"Hmph. What can you do? Cower in fear and watch!" The guard on top of Akira hissed, raising his sword high, preparing to slash it down onto Akira's pale neck.

Ryuji-san quickly got up onto his feet now that the pain had subsided, a powerful urge to rip off the mask that was on his face. His fingertip's traced the edges of the mask before digging his fingertips into the edges of it, gritting his teeth as he pulled on it. It was attached to his skin, to his damn face, but he didn't care. He didn't give two _shits._

"Nnnnrgh… HraaaaaAGGGHHH!"

He pulled it off, a fury of blood and blue flames flying around him. Akira flinched, his eyes clamping shut. But when he looked up, he didn't feel the weight on his back anymore.

Ryuji. Ryuji-san and his new strength, his rebellion taking form with a leather jacket and a floating pirate ship right behind him. He breathed heavily before turning his head up, a familiar smile painting his face.

"Ugh… This one as well?!" Kamoshida shrieked, covering his face from the winds emitting from Ryuji-san's Persona.

"Right on… Wassup, Persona…" Ryuji-san greeted, taking a look at his yellow-gloved hands, a red ascot tied around his neck with a double-sided belt with bullets on the side. "This effin' rocks! Now that I've got this power, it's time for payback…"

Akira rose onto his feet and wiped away the blood, Morgana-san hopping up also as Ann-san ran up to them, looking at their condition. She took a look at Akira's nose as they all ran over to Ryuji-san's side.

"Yo, I'm ready… Bring it!" Ryuji-san had a smile that made Akira's lips turn up. It was infectious, Ryuji-san's attitude and personality were infectious. It was spreading to all of them.

"Ngh… Don't mock me you brat!" The guard captain growled, swinging his sword down as his golden armor turned into a Shadow, a red knight riding on his steed.

Ryuji-san pointed his finger the same way he had confronted Kamoshida, the power, and will of rebellion coursing through his veins. He wasn't alone, he wasn't feeble or weak, he wasn't going to let him win, and most importantly, _he was going to stand up for himself._

"Blast him away… _Captain Kidd!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kamoshida is a disgusting pedo dont @ me
> 
> -ye-jun is akira, but has more confident and staged personality. it's him when he's lying and fabricating his past or fighting in the metaverse. the joker personality and ye-jun are one, basically.  
> -birthdays for characters are celebrated in game according to the date UNLESS they don't know them prior to their birthday  
> -trying to explain game mechanics and other things to make sense. For example, the reason why akira can hold at max 999 water of rebirths in the metaverse is because it's all stored in a pocket dimension. The others can use it because it's a shared pocket dimension  
> -basically injury works weird in the metaverse. People who don't have personas are 100% prone to getting injured, bruises, cuts, bleeding, etc. while Persona users not so much!! When attacked, it's more similar to being completely sapped of strength and energy  
> -the only time persona users are injured like a regular person is when their will of rebellion is weak. For example, being told down to, being caught by surprise, betrayal, etc. Anything that can bring their spirits down or shock them, which is why Akira's bleeding when he's kicked in the face


	4. Chapter 3: The Sweet Sound of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kamoshida Investigation crew try to pick up some information only to find out the disturbing truth of the situation.

"What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!" The guard captain boomed at them. Captain Kidd felt powerful, meeting the eyes of the Shadow that stood in their way with his lackeys standing next to them.

"Kamoshida's cognition ain't changin', right? Then I'll act like the troublemaker I am!" Ryuji-san spat back, putting his hand to his face and breathing in, feeling the power of his Persona. "Let's do this, Captain Kidd!"

Guns. Ryuji-san's Persona came with his gun. They all immediately started gunning them down, Ryuji-san almost missing a shot from the shock of the recoil on his gun. Once they got rid of the guard captain's buddies, they went all out.

"Persona!" Ryuji-san called out, a Zio hitting straight onto the Shadow. The horse that the suit of armor was riding on was _pissed._ Akira could see the air it exhaled out through its nose.

Akira ran up to it, knife held tightly in his hand as he ran up to it extremely fast and sliced through it, the Shadow groaning and folding in on itself from exhaustion.

"I am… a loyal subject… of the glorious King Kamoshida…" It groaned out. "So why… have I lost?"

Ryuji-san smiled and fiddled with the metal pipe sitting heavily in his hand, "It just proves that Kamoshida ain't anything special."

When the Shadow finally disappeared, exhaustion slapped Ryuji-san in the face. His energy from awakening to his Persona and also being thrown straight into battle.

As soon as he was done panting like a dog, he jerked his body up to meet Kamoshida with a cocky tone of voice, "…How 'bout that?!"

Ann-san just stared at Ryuji-san with a deadpan expression before turning to Kamoshida, her facial expression souring.

"Whoa… So Ryuji had the potential too…" Morgana-san breathed out. Ryuji-san kept glaring at Kamoshida, the man standing all alone and sad.

"Even if you apologize now… I ain't forgivin' you!" Kamoshida just walked further up to the boy, his confidence remaining.

"I told you that this is _my_ castle. It seems you still don't understand…"

Out of the corner of Akira's eye, a pair of cat ears appeared. Once the figure started walking towards Kamoshida, his mouth gaped open to see…

"A-Ann-san?" Akira sputtered as he looked at the girl throw herself on Kamoshida and twirl her finger on Kamoshida's chest. He looked back to see Ann-san still there, Akira clicking his tongue once he realized that the girl over there was just a cognition.

Kamoshida's cognition of Ann-san.

"T-the hell?! Ann?!" Ryuji-san cried out, looking back at the real one and cognitive one over and over again.

"Don't ask me! That's not me, it's a fake!" Ann-san spewed out. She was fuming that Kamoshida thought that he even had any chance, regardless if he was manipulating her. What an absolute _pervert._

"It's a cognition… It's what Kamoshida sees you as, Ann-san," Akira said and didn't put down his guard. He watched Kamoshida smile when Ann-san's breasts pressed onto his arm.

 _"Pervert…"_ Akira thought. When Kamoshida turned around and put a hand under her chin, looking at the girl with lust, Akira jolted back from how ballsy the man was. _"This_ _is his heart… He doesn't have to be worried about anything if it's his domain."_

"Get your hand off of her, you damn perv!" Ryuji-san growled out. Kamoshida just looked at them with an evil grin. "How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is _MY_ castle— A place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone _wishes_ to be loved by me."

Ann-san took a harsh step forward and shouted at him, her arms launching behind her back to push out her chest to gain as much air as she could obtain, "Like hell I'd want to do that with you, you sick bastard!"

"Settle down, kitty. Everyone besides you slow-witted thieves, at least. But don't worry, I'll win you over soon," Kamoshida winked.

"Shut your damn mouth—!" Ann-san shouted back, getting closer and closer to Kamoshida before Akira latched a hand onto her wrist and pulled her back.

"Not a good idea… Stay back," Akira told her. Ann-san was consumed by her rage, but she wasn't stupid enough to go straight up to Kamoshida. She listened to Akira and stayed down, but she boiled and simmered in hatred.

"Are you jealous?" Kamoshida snorted at them. Akira was about to respond to that until Kamoshida cut him off, "Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you."

As soon as he said that, Ann-san latched straight onto Ryuji-san's arm and mirrored the same thing the cognitive Ann-san was doing to Kamoshida. You know, except for the fact that Ann-san was doing this to purposefully piss Kamoshida off. "Oh, is that so?!" Ann-san fumed as Ryuji-san sputtered, flailing his arms around and trying to get Ann-san to slip off of him. Morgana-san stared at them as envy crept up his fur.

"Grrr… Clean them up this instant!"

Guards spawned out of thin air, protecting Kamoshida's Shadow and the cognitive Ann-san. Ann-san quickly stopped playing around and unleashed Ryuji-san's arm from her confines.

"We're outnumbered. Come on, let's scram before we get surrounded!" Morgana-san screamed at them. Ryuji's eyes widened and his metal pipe slowly slipped out of his gloved hands.

"We're not gonna do anything and just run?!"

"W-we can't just die here!" Akira protested against Ryuji-san. Morgana-san looked up at Akira as they all started backing up slowly. When they took one step back, the guards took another step forward.

"Thank _god_ you've got a level head."

"Ngh… Fine!" Ryuji-san responded before looking straight at Kamoshida. "We'll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us!"

Kamoshida just laughed at him, thinking of him as a joke. A simple pest. "Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want. If you don't care about your life! Gahahahaha!"

"Ignore the damn creep— Let's just go," Ann-san seethed to them. Akira could see she was trying to contain her anger, but it slipped through way too easily. They all turned tail and ran away as fast as they could, hearing the footsteps of guards chasing after them. It took a while to shake them off and stepping outside was a godsend, all of them wheezing and breathing heavily.

"Hahh… Hah… Anyway…" Ryuji-san panted and straightened his posture (well, as straight as his posture usually is…) before looking at all of them. "I don't remember turnin' into this!"

"I think it looks good on you," Akira smiled at him, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Ann-san took a bit more time to gain her energy back since she didn't have a mystical demon giving her cool powers.

"Uhh, I'm not sure if I should be happy about that 'Kira… Then again, it ain't as bad as yours," Ryuji-san insisted on Akira's uniform. Akira crossed his arms and pouted before Ann-san spoke through her heavy breaths.

"You look like… a thug, Ryuji," she sniggered, pointing out his outfit. Ryuji-san's ears turned red when he defended himself, "I-It's much better than Akira's magician-lookin' one!"

"Did you find them yet?!" They heard a guard yell out. Their eyes widened as they snapped their heads over to the sound of distorted voices.

"Shh, be quiet!" Morgana-san quaked. They all waited it out, their bodies stiff but ready to engage in battle if it doesn't work out the way they want.

"No. Search that way!"

Once Ryuji-san heard their voices disappear, he spoke up again, "So, what's goin' on? I'm completely lost, man!"

"I told you. When a Persona-user opposes a Palace's ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions," Morgana-san explained to him in a whisper. Ryuji-san narrowed his eyes and stroked his mask with his fingers, feeling the ridges of the mask. It was an odd texture. It didn't feel like plastic, leather, wax, velvet, or even paper-mache. It was a weird combination of all of them. "Is this… a skull?"

"Your appearance reflects your inner self. It's the rebel that slumbers within… Not that you'll get it," Morgana-san sneered.

"Nope…"

"Then _stop_ asking questions and accept what you see for what it is," Morgana-san continued. Ann-san rolled her eyes at the two while Akira looked at them back and forth.

"Easy for you to say," Ryuji-san grumbled back, crossing his arms with a laid back attitude. That's until his eyes widened, dropping his relaxed stance to a tense and aggravated one, yelling out, "Ah—! Wait, we're in _deep_ shit!"

"Ryuji, shut up!" Ann-san whisper yelled at him before Ryuji-san continued, "Don't you realize?! We might've gotten away here, but we're still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school…"

Akira cringed at the thought. They were still absolutely done for in reality after everything they've done here, but when Akira thought about it more, it didn't make sense. Kamoshida didn't do anything to them the first time they went there, so why would he now?

"Oh gosh… What do we do?!" She looked over to Morgana-san who crossed his arms and swished his tail.

"That's rather sharp of Ryuji… Even though he's an idiot."

"Hey!"

 _"Relax._ The Kamoshida in reality can't possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed— A side of one's personality they don't want to see."

"So that means we'll be fine… Right?"

Akira nodded his head at Ann-san.

"W-when we first went to the castle, Kamoshida didn't remember anything that had happened… So we'll be just fine," Akira explained to them shyly. Morgana-san smiled brightly.

"Huh, you're pretty smart. You pick up stuff fast. Maybe even too fast… I'd assume you've traveled through the Metaverse before if Ryuji and Ann hadn't seen your awakening." Akira put his gaze onto the ground, his ears turning red as he kicked the ground and played with his fingers behind his back. Ryuji-san smiled beneath his mask and stretched himself out.

"All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is—"

"Wait. I guided you as promised. It's your turn to cooperate with me," he bossed. All of them looked at Morgana-san confusedly. "That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything."

"Wait a second— What do you mean by 'cooperate'?

Morgana-san made a 'hah' sound in confusion, "Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form! That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and—"

"Whoa, hold up. What're you goin' on and on about? We never said anything about helpin' you out," Ryuji-san responded. Morgana-san jolted back in surprise.

"Huh? Don't tell me… Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? _Especially_ you! You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan?!" Morgana-san accused, looking straight at Akira. Akira was _weak_ to that statement, stammering and not knowing what to say.

"I-I, I uh, um, well—"

"Is it because I'm not human? Because I'm like a cat? Is that why you're making a fool of me?!"

"N-no, no! Not at all Morgana-san, I—"

"We're busy!" Ryuji-san intervened, putting an arm around Akira's shoulders and starting to slightly turn away from Morgana-san. Ann-san walked over to Akira's side and held onto his hand.

"Thanks for everything, Mona! You've got guts! See you later!" Ann-san cheered. Akira started stuttering furiously, his face finally lighting up like a tomato as they all walked away from Morgana-san.

"Hey! _What the hell!_ Ugh, seriously?! Why're you wrapping this up like everything's all hunky-dory?! Oh hell no! Get back here! Grrr… GRRR… _GRAAAGHHHH!"_

When they got back, they were in an alleyway right outside the school, the shortcut that had originally led them to the castle before. Ryuji-san was perched upon one of the vents, Akira quietly breathing in and out before noticing that his hand was still tangled with Ann-san.

"Um… C-can you let go of my hand, Ann-san?" Akira asked her. She looked down and removed it, laughing awkwardly and not making eye contact.

"Y-yeah! Sorry about that…"

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."  Akira heard from his pocket, his phone vibrating before settling down to its silent state.

"…Gah, thank god. We're back." Ryuji-san groaned. Akira suddenly felt tired and leaned up against the wall, his back sliding against the wall before his bottom met the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"I'm tired…" Akira admitted, feeling sleepy.

"Sorry… We dragged you around the entire time," Ann-san told him. Akira shook his head and gave a small smile to both of them.

"I'm just glad that both of you are safe," Akira smiled. Ryuji-san crouched down to Akira's level and ran a hand under his nose. "What are you—"

"Shit, man. Your nose is still bleedin'… That bastard…" Ryuji-san growled, wiping away the blood dripping from his nose. "You were so busy that you forgot you were kicked in the face. What's the point if you're glad we're okay when you _ain't?"_

"Well, you both have a Persona now. You can protect Akira all you want. It's just me that's dead weight…" Ann-san sighed. Akira looked at her.

"That's not true… I-I appreciate you being around. It makes me feel safe with more people," he admitted to her. Ann-san could swear her heart stopped beating when Akira looked at her with those eyes. Akira never made eye contact, so when he did it for the first time, even if they were covered by his hair and glasses, she knew one thing—

 _"They're so pretty…"_ She thought. Ann-san felt like she had seen them somewhere before… A magazine? No, definitely not. Why would Akira be in a magazine? She quickly brushed off the feeling when Ryuji's lips parted to speak to her, "You're not dead weight… If you're dead weight _I'm_ dead weight, and I don't like thinkin' about that… Anyways, I'm _dead_ tired. How're you holdin' up?"

"Pretty okay, actually… I'm gonna sleep like a rock when I get home, though," Ann-san groaned. Ryuji-san nodded at her, "I feel you…"

"But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida were treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done for," Ryuji-san cackled, seeing the fall of Kamoshida play through his mind. It looked so beautiful!

"I remember them also. I can even ask Shiho about this… I'm sure she has experience…" Ann-san sighed. It hurt Akira to know that Ann-san's friend was a victim of this. So many people were being abused by Kamoshida it wasn't even funny. "You wanna help out, Akira?"

"Um, sure."

"You sound uncertain, dude…"

"W-well, I want to help, but I'm not sure if I'll do a good job considering my, uh, reputation at school…"

"That don't matter, I have a horrible one too. You'll be fine… It's gonna be impossible to lay low, anyways. Everybody knows, might as well use it to your advantage." Akira sighed and rested his face on his knees. Ryuji was right, he didn't have anything else to do if his record was tainted, but it still sucked…

"Kamoshida probably leaked my record… It's the only person who'd do it," Akira told them. Ryuji-san crossed his arms and cursed under his breath, "Bastard opened his damn mouth. Doesn't matter if it's a student or a club, that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me."

"Ryuji…" Ann-san muttered. Ryuji-san sighed and shoved his hands back into his pockets, a saddened and slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumors about him getting physical are real, and after seein' Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!"

"Of course I understand you, but…" Akira started before Ryuji-san crouched down to his level again.

"C'mon, dude! Look, if you feel safe 'round us, it's the same for us also. I'll even pull most of the weight, you just gotta stick with us 'till the end!" Ryuji-san pleaded with him before smiling at him. "…I'll even treat ya to some food?"

Akira's eyes met Ryuji-san, tempted by the offer of food. Now that he realized it, Akira _was_ hungry… He felt like he could eat more than usual.

"Are you seriously bribing him with food?"

"No shit. I'll pay for you also if you're thinkin' about backing out."

"Wasn't planning on it in the first place, but I'll gladly accept the offer!"

"That's not—"

Akira giggled at the two of them and pushed himself off of the floor, dusted off his uniform, and put his arms behind his back.

"You didn't have to offer food… But it's a plus. Then… I'll be counting on you, um, if that's okay with you, Ann-san and Ryuji-san."

"We'll be counting on you as well, Akira! Also, drop the honorifics! We're all the same age, anyway." Akira scratched the back of his neck and stuttered. Addressing Ann-san without the honorifics? Not only that but with Ryuji also?

"I-It's embarrassing…"

"Pleaseee? Come on Akira, it'll be fine!"

"…O-okay then. Ann and Ryuji," Akira whispered. Ann patted him on the back and looked at Ryuji cheekily, speaking to him in a sing-song voice, "You better not forget about your deal…"

"All right, all right… I know this cool ass beef bowl shop, it's really good. Come on, let's get walkin'. It's gettin' late." Ryuji flicked his hand for them to follow him and the three of them walked side by side.

Ryuji wrapped an arm around Akira's shoulder and dragged the three of them along, walking over to the train station. Akira had this warm feeling spread over his body when his eyes met with Ryuji's. Once the boy realized this was the first time Akira had made eye contact with him, he gave a huge smile.

Akira's face started to feel the burning redness of his cheeks, turning his head away and trying to have a neutral expression to not give himself away. Maybe this year was going to be a lot better than he had expected.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Chariot Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card hung over Ryuji's head, a red, black, and white tarot card with the roman numerals for the number seven. Time had stopped, just like what had happened when he first arrived here in Tokyo. But as soon as it started, it stopped.

When time resumed, Akira forgot that Ryuji and Ann weren't aware that he had witnessed something crazy. Ryuji started walking, only to be slightly jolted back to see that Akira had stopped moving. He had this blank, unreadable expression.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Ryuji questioned him. Akira looked up at him and continued walking at the same pace as Ryuji, taking faster strides to match with the ex-track runner's long legs.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" Ann questioned him. Akira opened his mouth only for him to be interrupted by the growling of his stomach. "Oh… Maybe you're thinking about food?"

"E-exactly that," he lied. They kept walking to the station, the three of them waiting for the train.

"Anyways, since everything about me has been spilled, I wanna hear about you two. You have dirt on Kamoshida, Ann. I've heard the rumors, so you better cough it up," Ryuji told her. Ann crossed her arms and glared at him.

 _"After_ you buy me an extra-large beef bowl. I won't say anything if you don't give me that."

"For real…?"

When they finally got there, Akira was the one to speak up about it first. It took a _lot_ of prying, and even then he didn't even give all of the details. Just a bare minimum rundown of what happened to him and completely voiding out the fact that he's relatively famous.

"The hell, man?! How much shittier can that asshole get?!" Ryuji yelled, the other customers turning their eyes over to the trio. Akira put a finger up to his lips and shushed Ryuji.

"C-calm down, Ryuji! It doesn't matter now, though… All I can hope to do is continue with my probation."

"But just hearin' your story makes me angry!" Ryuji groaned, shoveling food into his mouth to calm himself down as Ann picked up the conversation.

"So, you left your hometown and now you're living out here in Tokyo, right? Where are you from?"

"Kyunin-Shutsu," Akira responded plainly to Ann.

"Wait, isn't that where Kyunin Savant Academy is? The number one highschool in Japan?" Ann confirmed with him with wide eyes. Akira half-shrugged and nodded.

"Yep, that's right. It's only known for that, anyway. Everywhere else in that place is relatively rural. Lots of scenery."

"Hold on— Did you attend Kyunin Savant?!" Ryuji looked at him suddenly and gulped down his food before looking him in the eyes. Akira stabbed his chopsticks into the rice and picked some up, putting it in his mouth.

"Hm? Oh, no… I consider myself smart, but I'm definitely not smart enough to go there," he lied.

"I guess we're all similar. Screwed over by crappy adults…" Ann muttered. "But we're making change little by little."

"Oh yeah, it's your turn now. Look, I bought you that beef bowl so now you have to give me some sort of payment," Ryuji said to her, leaning over the table to grab some ginger.

"Seriously…? Well, Kamoshida's an asshole. I think we've figured that out already… The rumors say that we've been getting it on, but it isn't true at all," she continued.

"He keeps trying to talk to me and tries to get me to do those stuff with him, and he threatens me by saying that he'll take away Shiho's position on the volleyball team. Shiho's my best friend… I can't let her get hurt. That's why I want to take down Kamoshida. I'll make him _pay."_

"Pervert teacher… Trying to get into the pants of teenage girls, what an 'effin creep…" Ryuji blurted out, downing his entire bowl and lifted it, and shoved the contents of it into his mouth before slamming it down on the table.

"You're livin' in Yongen now, right? It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home," Ryuji suggested. Akira nodded at him when he suddenly faltered, feeling something wet trickle down his nose. A small red dot plopped onto the wooden table below him, a cherry red color.

"Ah—"

Ryuji quickly grabbed some napkins out of the container next to him and held it up against Akira's nose, the boy quickly grabbing it from Ryuji's hand.

"Thank you…"

Akira thanked, holding it up to his nose. Ann frowned at him.

"You should probably hold it up there. I'll even feed you since you're occupied. Say 'ah'!"

"Huh?! A-ah…?" Akira stuttered confusedly, feeling chopsticks going into his mouth only for him to realize it was just ginger.

"I'm just kidding! Here." Ann smiled, holding up Akira's chopsticks and picking up some actual food before putting it into Akira's mouth.

"From now on, we all have each other's backs. We're in this together, okay?" Ann said. Akira smiled at the two of them and chewed on his food while pressing on his bloodied nose.

"As long as we do something about Kamoshida, I bet we'll all feel better about bein' at school," Ryuji added. Akira smiled at the two of them.

"Well, I'm all for it. Thank you for putting your trust in me."

Ryuji snorted at Akira. "More like thanks for trustin' _us…_ Two blondies towering over someone like you probably scared you shitless."

"A bit… B-but I'm not anymore, of course. Oh! Umm, are you guys okay with exchanging phone numbers and IDs, right?" Ann and Ryuji took out their phones immediately. Akira finally took the napkin off of his nose and gave himself one quick wipe before putting it off to the side and looking down at his phone.

They all quickly exchanged information with each other and Ann formed the group chat as soon as she got everyone's info.

**《Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira (3)》**

**|6:07 PM|April 12th|**

**Ann:** hello!! 👁👄👁

"Ann, we're literally sittin' right next to each other," Ryuji told her. Ann pouted her lips and glared at her phone before quickly typing into the group chat.

**Ann:** stfu fake blonde 🤡

"You— Ugh, anyways, we're gonna start right away tomorrow. First, we need to hit up the guys we saw that were kept as slaves. The volleyball rally's tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, recommended by Kamoshida himself. Thanks to that, we don't have any classes. If I can make Shiho and the other volleyball members fess up about it, we can report it to the police. Everything can go our way," Ann said.

"I guess we can work out the details tomorrow. Oi, 'Kira, you gotta eat more! There's tons of ginger here, eat up skinny boy. I'm not paying for you to stare at it."

"I—"

Ryuji was already reaching for the tongs, lifting the lid on the ginger box, and piling it up high onto Akira's bowl. Akira's stomach suddenly stopped growling as he stared at the large stack of food in front of him, preparing his body for the largest meal he's had in his life so far.

"T-thank you for the food…"

Once they all walked out into the streets, Akira was groaning and refused to speak in fear that he'll cough up everything he just shoved down.

"So, about this plan to take down Kamoshida…"

"Ryuji! Don't be so loud!" Ann whisper-yelled at him. Ryuji cleared his throat and lowered his volume.

"Ah— Right." The three of them continued, Akira passing by a silver-haired woman and a brown-haired boy. It caught his eye for a second before he shrugged it off and followed Ann and Ryuji.

"Oh, hold on guys. I'm getting a call from Shiho…" Ann trailed off to them when they arrived at the station.

"Hello? Hi, Shiho! How have you been so far?" Ann greeted with a jovial smile and listened to Suzui-san speak, her smile turning sour and the corners of her mouth reaching down.

"Oh, Shiho… Don't be worried. Be confident in yourself! I trust in you; I'll always be on your side! Your skills have been recognized and it's all because you work harder than anyone else!"

"More importantly… The injury I saw earlier today looked pretty swollen. Are you okay?" Akira looked straight at Ann, knowing she was trying to pry some information out of Suzui-san. He could tell because her voice was starting to stammer and stay on words for too long.

"Oh… Do you have to go? Huh…? Kamoshida asked for you? …It'll be fine! I bet it's just a meeting about the starting lineup or something," Ann lied. Akira was surprised that she was keeping her voice so stable. Her voice would be shaking in any other situation but it was straight and smooth. It was for Suzui-san, all for Suzui-san. "Mmhmm, yeah! Okay, goodbye! Good luck!"

The phone call ended and Ann gripped onto her phone tightly. They stayed silent for a moment before she spoke up to them.

"I don't want her near that damn creep… But, I don't know what else I should do…!" Ann agonized, a pained expression on her face as she fiddled with the strap on her bag. Akira frowned but remained blunt and honest with her.

"We just have to wait it out…" Akira said. As soon as he finished his sentence, the train pulled up and Akira watched it dock at the station, people flooding in and out of the train.

"I know that Akira… I'll text you guys later. See you." Ann smiled at Akira and waving at him slightly. She was forcing it, but Akira appreciated the effort anyway.

"See ya later, 'Kira. Get some good sleep," Ryuji told him, waving at him also. Akira could only smile as he boarded the crowded train and watched as his friends disappeared from his view.

When he got home, he was greeted by Sojiro-san doing a crossword puzzle.

"…You're home. I assume you attended the whole school day?"

Akira cleared his throat and blushed in embarrassment. He couldn't control what happened to him at that time, but he couldn't tell the man that… "O-of course I did, Sojiro-san."

"Well, as long as you aren't getting into trouble, it's fine by me. Did you eat yet?" Sojiro-san asked him, putting his newspaper down onto the counter and standing up, heading behind the camera.

"A-ah, I went out to eat with my friends earlier… I'm full," Akira told him. Sojiro-san eyed at him suspiciously, but he stayed behind the counter and pushed a cup of hot chocolate across the counter and over to Akira.

"It's not going to be easy for you, kid. You're on probation and you might get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Hell, you might've already since you're in showbiz. Keep that smart head up high and don't go nosing around in things that you shouldn't be gettin' yourself involved in. The life you're living ain't a free one right now," Sojiro told him strictly. Akira heard his phone buzz and nodded at Sojiro.

"T-thank you for your heartfelt advice. I'll make sure to do my best. Please, don't worry too much about me," Akira bowed, sitting down at the counter and taking a sip of his hot cocoa. He picked up his phone to take a look at the group chat.

**《Kurusu Akira, Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann (3)》**

**|7:24 PM|April 12th|**

**《Ryuji re-named group name from** **Kurusu Akira, Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann** **to** **Whats up people?!?!** **》**

 **Ryuji:** yo can yall see this

 **Ann:** no

 **Ryuji:** i really effin hate u

 **Ann:** okay, i saw that tho 👀

 **Akira:** you guys are weird…

 **Ryuji:** i just wanted to see if i had ur guys contacts right then ann had to mess it up smh

 **Ann:** 😤🤡💢

 **Akira:** let's not fight over text, okay? i'll see you guys tomorrow. i'll be counting on you!

 **Ann:** me to akira!! let's get along 🧚‍♀️❤💞💫

 **Ryuji:** wE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

 **Ann:** ONCE WE KNOW THAT WE ARE

Akira tapped out of the conversation as soon as they started typing out lyrics. Akira could feel his phone vibrating like crazy when he put it in his pocket and sipped on his cocoa.

"I'm gonna head home for the night. I'll lock the store up, so don't go wandering out."

"Thank you, Sojiro-san," Akira told him when the man started to walk over to the door and open it. "Have a nice night."

"Night, kid."

After he finished his cup and washed it, he quickly changed clothes and curled up on his bed, putting a finger under his nose and breathing in and out. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the entire reenactment of 'We're All In This Together.'

**《Whats up people?!?! (3)》**

**|7:26 PM|April 12th|**

**Ryuji:** oh shit akira isnt online anymore haha

 **Ann:** we scared him away lololol

 **Ann:** come back 😔✊😭

 **Akira:** you guys are done right??

 **Ryuji:** WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

 **Ann:** OKAY WE'RE DRAWING THE LINE NOW

 **Ryuji:** anyway that thingy on your phone was a red eye yeah??

 **Akira:** that's right

 **Ryuji:** we ended up @ that weird place when usin that app

 **Ryuji:** its on my phone now 2

 **Ryuji:** i don't remember installin it!!

 **Ann:** that's super creepy…

 **Ryuji:** fr dude i think it downloaded on its own somehow

 **Ryuji:** its dangerous to use stuff u dont know about but it sends us 2 that place

 **Akira:** it seems like it… it depends on how we use it, though

 **Ann:** we gotta find evidence first though, then we can figure out that madness

 **Ryuji:** dont ditch school even tho ur super smart kira

 **Akira:** why would you even assume i'd skip in the first place lol…

 **Akira:** goodnight, guys!

 **Ann:** night akira!

 **Ryuji:** see ya!

Exhausted was the most accurate explanation of how he felt when he opened his eyes and saw that he was in that same prison cell. It wasn't a dream, he kept entering the same place over and over again. He stood up and met with Igor, the man welcoming him to the 'Velvet Room.'

"I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you. What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?"

"I guess so…"

"Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel. The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. However, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?"

"Y-you mean Ryuji?" Akira replied. Igor nodded.

"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships," Igor continued. "It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong."

"The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well."

"Personas are the strength of heart…" Justine told him after her master was done speaking. "The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain."

"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you _doesn't,"_ Caroline added harshly. "You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power."

"Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambition will not come to fruition," Igor chuckled. "We have a deal then."

Akira feels like high expectations were placed on him, and he didn't want to let down the odd-nosed man.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

He saw a card floating between him and Igor, just like what had happened with Ryuji before it disappeared into thin air.

"Well, you will understand it all in due time… Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation," Igor told him. Caroline turned towards Akira.

"Now this conversation's over! Get lost, Inmate!"

Before he could say anything, everything faded and it was the next day. April 13th.

"How annoying— We've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally?" A first-year complained while they were walking side-by-side with their friend. "And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us."

His friend responded to his dissatisfied remarks, "We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!"

"Yeah, okay. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?"

"Hey, Akira!" Ann called out. Akira twisted his head around to see Ann walking with who he presumed was Suzui-san.

"Shiho, this is the guy I've been telling you about. You know, the _dangerous_ delinquent transfer student?" Ann joked. Akira smiled at Suzui-san.

"Hello there, Suzui-san. It's nice to meet you." He bowed to her.

"O-oh, I'm Suzui Shiho, though you probably already knew that. Kurusu Akira, right? Don't let the rumors get to you. You don't have to call me by my last name if you want. Ann's friend is mine as well," Shiho-san told him. Akira smiled at her, looking at her eyes. They were dull and sad, he knew that feeling all too well.

"Um, let's all walk together," Akira suggested. The three of them all walked with each other. The volleyball rally was only in a few minutes, and he'd be sure to get as much information out of them as possible.

His gym uniform was baggy, which was to be expected. He was incredibly short for his age, remaining the same height he was when he was in middle school.

Watching Kamoshida spike the ball down on innocent students made his blood turn cold. He sat down next to Ryuji, Ann, and Shiho-san as the four of them all watched Kamoshida smile widely at every single point being made.

"Nice job! Man, you've still got it, Coach!" One of the teachers praised Kamoshida as they high-fived each other.

"Thanks. Let's go for one more!" Kamoshida told them as the whistle blew and the girls cheered. Akira was more occupied with his shirt slipping off of his shoulders. He probably should have gotten the girl's size small…

"Pretty boring…" Ryuji yawned, putting an arm around Akira. Akira chuckled at him and stared back at the game happening.

"We really stand out, don't we…?"

"Now that you mention it, the three of you do stick out," Shiho-san commented. She can't believe Ann _just_ noticed all of the stares that came their way. "Especially since you seem so buddy-buddy already."

"I sort of do it on instinct. It's weird… It feels like I've known 'Kira for years," Ryuji admitted. Akira shrugged and paid attention to the game.

"Um, I mean… I'm okay with it," Akira said. His head suddenly turned over to the game, watching Kamoshida jump up high and get past three blockers, his spike piercing through their arms and heading straight for a student.

Akira flinched when it hit a boy straight in the face. He remembered seeing the boy's face in his class, battered up and bruised.

Kamoshida pretended like he cared and ran under the net up to the fallen student, "Sorry! Hey, are you all right? Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!"

His body was dragged off by a male student. The stray ball had rolled over next to Ryuji, the boy unhooking his arm from Akira's shoulders and picking it up.

"He'll pay soon enough…" Ryuji muttered to him, tossing the ball back to the court. Kamoshida stared at Akira. _He stared at Akira._ Goosebumps trailed over his skin as Akira looked away from the man. The game resumed right after that, chattering starting up again as they quickly forgot about the incident before this.

Akira nudged Ryuji and Ann with his arms, clearing his throat, looking towards the door of the gymnasium, and signaling them to do their thing.

"O-oh! Uh, we're going to, well, pick up some drinks… Yeah, pick up drinks! What do you want?" Ann hovered over Suzui-san as Ryuji grunted and stood up onto his feet.

"Oh, uh, waters just fine…"

"I'll have juice, 100% fruits and vegetables," Akira told them.

"Jesus, what are you, a health nut?" Akira giggled at Ryuji.

"I-I guess you could say that… Shiho-san and I are going to stay right here, _be quick, okay?"_ Akira smiled at them, making sure to get the message across. Ann and Ryuji nodded.

"W-we'll be right back!" Ann stuttered. She was so horrible at lying. Akira scooted up closer to Shiho-san and looked her in the eyes. She still had that dead stare.

"You know, Ann's really bad at lying," Shiho-san laughed with a small smile on her face. It wasn't a real one, it was fake. "She's always been horrible at it… I know her well enough to know she's keeping secrets from me."

"…Do you want to know?"

Shiho-san's eyes widened. "You know the reason why she's lying…?"

"S-Shiho-san… We know what's happening with Kamoshida. We want to stop it. If— If enough people speak about their abuse, we can take him down," Akira explained to her. Shiho-san shook her head at his words.

"No… It's not going to work. Nobody is going to say anything."

"I know that. I know that from experience. Um… You and I are similar, in that sense." Akira pointed out to her. Shiho-san looked at him with wide eyes.

"W-when you're scared you throw logic out of the window to save yourself. It's scary, that's why you choose not to speak, to not point it out… You're scared of the repercussions," Akira looked away from her eyes. That gaze hurt too much for him. It reminded him of himself. "Isn't that right?"

"…" Shiho-san said nothing. They both watched the volleyball game in silence, comfortable silence before she spoke up again.

"…You're speaking from experience…? How… How did it end for you…?" Shiho-san asked him.

"…It ever ended. Maybe that's why I'm helping those two out… To feel better about myself and to tell myself that I'm not weak," Akira spoke to her. "But you're different. Ann and Ryuji are victims in this too, but they're trying their best."

"You can try too, Shiho-san. I believe in you." Shiho-san gave him something he didn't expect to see: a genuine smile. He saw a light flicker in her eyes again, a newfound passion and confidence. She was still wary and scared, but it was something _new._

"…Okay. I'll help you guys out, but… I don't promise anything and… I hope you know that you're a strong person. You aren't weak, and I'm sure whatever situation you're in, you can break out of it."

"I hope I can, too…"

The rally ended soon after that, Akira looking down at his phone. Akira showed it off to Shiho-san since she was part of their plan now.

**《Whats up people?!?! (3)》**

**|2:02 PM|April 13th|**

**Ryuji:** dammit we outta time howd it go??

 **Ann:** take a wild guess.

 **Ryuji:** you didn't have any luck either huh

 **Akira:** Let's just regroup for now. let's meet in the courtyard.

Akira sat up along with Shiho-san. Both of them started heading there, the two blondies were already there.

"Wait— Uh, S-Shiho?"

"I want to help. Kurusu-kun told me everything… I'm ready to help if I can." Ann looked at Shiho-san with a sad smile on her face that turned into actual happiness, walking over to Shiho-san and hugging her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Shiho… You're really the best," she sighed and parted away from Shiho-san. They looked like they were the only people in the world when Shiho-san gave her a genuine smile back at her. Akira's heart ached, feeling a bit of envy crawl up his skin but thwarted it away to not ruin the moment.

"But… Just because you have my word, it won't matter. We need more people. Did any of you guys find any leads…?" Shiho-san fiddled with the collar of her shirt. Ryuji half-groaned half-sighed to her, knowing that the leads he had were _garbage._

"Mishima. Had a _bit_ of luck on my end. Apparently, Mishima's been goin' through some special 'coaching."

"I always see Mishima covered in bruises… We have to hurry though, he's probably heading home soon." Ann led the group onwards. They met him right near the entrance to the school, a bag in his hand all ready to leave.

"Hey, you got a second?" Ryuji asked him. Mishima-san turned around to meet the four of them looking at him. The first thing they noticed on Mishima-san was the bandages and array of bruises on his face.

"Sakamoto? Takamaki? Suzui!? And… the transfer student?" Mishima-san jolted in surprise.

"C'mon, we just wanna chat," Ryuji told him. Mishima-san huddled in on himself pitifully. "Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?"

"Certainly not!"

"You don't have to be so polite, Mishima. We saw him spike you in the face during the rally!" Ann tried to dig under his shell and get him to cough up some information. Any information, anything that could be useful— she just needed _something._

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" Mishima argued, well, it was more like a weak protest than anything.

"…Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got," Ryuji pointed. Mishima-san's voice suddenly rose and he looked Ryuji in the eyes, "They're from practice!"

"Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?"

"That's…"

"Mishima-kun, it's fine to say it. I told them…" Shiho-san admitted to him. Mishima-san's words got caught in his throat as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"What—"

"What's going on here?" A voice boomed. When Akira turned his head over, he started to dig his nails into the palm of his hand in anxiety. Crap, why was he anxious? He's performed in front of crowds bigger than this school's population but why is he biting his lip and shivering like a chihuahua when he sees this man?

"Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" Kamoshida crossed his arms.

"I-I'm not feeling well today…" Mishima-san whimpered out to the man, his eyes staring right at the floor. Akira's blood went cold when he saw the blatant similarities between them.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then," Kamoshida suggested. It was an obvious jab that Mishima-san took to heart. "You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

"Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji growled at Kamoshida, the blood vessels on his hands popping out. Shiho-san was pale and scared to death by the very appearance of Kamoshida, Ann was a bit disturbed by his appearance but she quickly shook it off. Akira, on the other hand, didn't know what to say or do.

"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?" Kamoshida asked him. Mishima-san stayed silent for a second before weakly replying, "…I'll go."

Kamoshida went straight up to Ryuji's face, towering over the boy but he remained confident and strong, unmoved by his words. "As for you, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure."

"Bastard…" Ryuji cursed at him.

"Same goes for you," Kamoshida seethed, staring up at Akira. Akira stiffened up when his eyes met with his. "Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line? Not only that, but you have an image to uphold. You shouldn't be getting involved with problematic people."

"…I was just leaving, sir," Akira replied to him. Kamoshida looked over at Ann and Shiho-san.

"You had the guts to tell me off last time, but I'm telling you these things for your good, Takamaki-san. You too, Suzui. Don't get yourself involved with these lowlifes. They'll ruin you. All of these unsettling rumors are making the students uneasy, after all. If more people got involved, things would get messy."

"That's because the rumors are your own goddamn _fault,"_ Ryuji seethed, putting his entire being into that sentence.

"Tch, this won't get anywhere. Let's go, Mishima," Kamoshida barked, turning his back on them all. "Shujin Academy is a place where students with aspiration come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. _Get with the program!"_

"Yes, sir," Mishima-san muttered as Kamoshida walked away. Ryuji ground his teeth together.

"That asshole… He's going to pay for everything he's done…" Ann huffed out and crossed her arms. Shiho-san looked over at Mishima-san with a nervous expression.

"…There's no point," Mishima-san agonized. They all turned to face Mishima-san except for Shiho-san, her eyes glued to the soles of her shoes. "Proving that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless. Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it.

"This has gotta be a joke…!" Ryuji breathed out with wide eyes. Mishima-san shook his head, his eyes cold, and wandered off to the side.

"…Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know that nothings going to help? Especially you, Suzui…" Mishima-san said to them. Ryuji and Shiho-san were taken aback by his remarks, but they knew it was true. The truth hurt, it really did.

Mishima-san ran away, running after Kamoshida to participate in his 'special coaching' that the teacher insisted that he do.

"Dammit…" Ryuji huffed, kicking the floor lightly in anger and disbelief.

"Everyone knows… What are we going to do? Are we going to quit…?" Akira frowned at him. Ann responded to him, knowing she was feeling the same.

"No… Let's try to persuade the students one more time. That's… that's all we can do," Ann admitted.

"I'm sorry I never told you, but I hoped that maybe, maybe everyone would just fight back…" Ann shook her head and put a hand on her shoulder as Shiho-san continued with her guilty confession, "I-I'm leaving the operation. I'm sorry… It really is useless."

"You don't have to be sorry, Shiho… Just take care of yourself, okay? I'll do everything I can to make you stay safe. You guys are going to help me out, right?" Ryuji grinned at her with his newfound strength. Akira gave a stressed and tentative smile, but it meant well. "Hell yeah we are!"

"I'll see you later… Text me," Shiho-san said, bowing and heading out the door.

The train ride home was solemn and lonely, Akira was plagued by unnecessary feelings of doubt and disgust. Going into the café during the night was even worse, Sojiro staring at him, serving him food in silence as he walked up the stairs into the attic. It was like Sojiro could sense Akira's discomfort.

Akira huddled himself into the blanket and his pillow, breathing in dust and coughing it out.

Kamoshida's words hit him hard. Even though he had a criminal record, he still had a chance if anything about him being Moon Ye-jun was contained. If it gets out, he's done for. The flack he'd receive online, the stares from his peers, everything would be over. His targeted school, his future career, nothing would matter anymore. He already ruined his life, his parents are going to kill him as soon as he goes back home. The sinking feeling in his stomach knowing that it wasn't just an expression.

The anger that they held for him would build-up for an entire year, and as soon as they saw his face, it was going to burst. Akira was going to be dead by the middle of the next year and he hated to say that he was okay with that. Maybe everything didn't have to be a pain anymore. He wouldn't have to worry about the future because there _wouldn't_ be a future to worry about in the first place.

He closed his eyes only for his phone to ring, the boy pulling out his high-quality phone with the screen right up to his face.

**《Whats up people?!?! (3)》**

**|2:23 PM|April 13th|**

**Ryuji:** this doesnt make any damn sense

 **Ryuji:** the principal AND the parents know about it

 **Ryuji:** it frustratin 2 know no one is speakin up about it!!

 **Ann:** it's because they're scared ryuji. and also because kamoshida really IS a king to the school

 **Akira:** exactly. the volleyball team is famous, so they regard Kamoshida as their savior

 **Akira:** people don't care as long as he keeps the school's rep high

 **Ryuji:** that doesnt give him the right 2 do shit like this!! beatin kids up while they can only endure

 **Ryuji:** its such bullshit!!! im not gonna let it end like this

 **Ryuji:** im gonna find someone to give dirt on kamoshida during break tmrw

 **Ryuji:** i aint givin up!! just u watch

 **Ann:** i'll come with u

 **Akira:** i'll join you guys. it's not like i can do anything else to help

He passed out on his bed as soon as he typed out that message and woke up the next morning with a headache. It wasn't unusual, he usually had one due to stress.

Akira hadn't checked social media in a while, mostly because he knew his notifications had blown up since his temporary leave was announced.

When he checked it, so many notifications. Way too many to count. He typed out a half-assed announcement about how he might be doing individual works while he was on leave, but nothing would be promised.

 _"I'd need a laptop for that, a good one at that if I'm going to be making music and posting dance covers… How much is a MIDI keyboard again…?"_ Akira thought, staring down at his phone and scrolling through whatever comments that were on his post.

**_moon &stars🌙💫_** **_@moon.yejun.stan_**

OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! COME BACK SOON I MISS YOU MY BABYYYYY

**_Yumi!!_** **_@yumiyumioh_**

Enjoy your break yejunie!! Have fun! I love you! ❤❤

Akira shoved his phone into his bag and sighed, listening in on the conversations around him. Nothing too useful about Kamoshida, but two girls in front of him were talking about how you shouldn't go near the PE faculty office and how you'll hear weird noises like screaming. Akira knew what those screams were, but he kept his mouth shut like the good student he was.

Classes were boring, but it was more important to get witnesses. Ann was hanging out with Shiho-san while Ryuji and Akira were stressing out about what to do with Kamoshida. Akira wanted to get the disgusting words that Kamoshida said to him in the Palace, not telling anyone anything about what had happened. It made his skin crawl, a bad feeling settling in his stomach.

It wasn't right, something was going to happen soon and he was going to stop it if he could.

When Akira walked over to one of the vending machines to get himself a drink, he spotted Shiho-san looking down at her phone covered in new bruises.

"What? Oh… I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry…"

"H-huh? Oh, no, not at all… Here, I have something for you," Akira dug through his bag and pulled out a small tube.

"Huh…? What's that?" She asked him as he handed it over to her. She inspected it while Akira spoke to her, pointing at the tube in her hand.

"Pain relief cream. It also helps with swelling. It works, trust me. It's really high-quality. Take it."

"Oh… Thank you. It worries me that you're knowledgeable enough to even know this works. I, um… I have to go to practice now. I'll make sure I use this," Shiho-san nodded to him and walked away slowly. Akira instinctively latched onto her wrists, Shiho-san turning her head over to Akira.

"A-ah, sorry— my bad. I just wanted to say, well… stay safe. If you need help, I'm here," Shiho-san appreciated the help, smiling at him softly before shaking Akira's hand off and walking away.

Akira didn't feel thirsty anymore.

"Dammit. What the hell…" Ryuji cussed, crossing his arms when Akira came out to the courtyard. Ann was sitting down on one of the blue benches, twirling her pigtails as she looked at the angered boy.

"Nothing, huh…" Akira murmured him. Ryuji growled, leaning onto the vending machine and rubbing his temple with his fingers before slamming his hand on the machine.

"All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something! Ann, did you get anythin'?"

"The same as you. Mishima was right… Nobody's speaking. At this rate, we might have to ask him directly," Akira looked at her with wide eyes and laughed nervously.

"A-are you serious…? Ann, there's no point. And if we _are_ going to do it, we should've started with it…"

"We know… But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way am I gonna give in like this! Can you think of _anything?"_ Ryuji questioned. Akira thought for a second before widening his eyes.

"…The king. The Kamoshida in the other world— What if we do something about him?" Ann's back straightened when Akira mentioned that. Her ears opened up and her eyes lit up. She had an idea, but he didn't know where it'd lead.

"I didn't think of that… But, what would we do in the first place—"

"I finally found you…!"

A black and white cat with a yellow collar walked up to him, his tail swishing back and forth. Akira went stiff, his mouth open as he looked at the cat. That voice, he knew that voice. No way…

"…You say something?" Ryuji looked at them puzzled. Ann shook her head, completely ignoring the cat on the ground and so did Ryuji. The cat jumped up onto the table in the center of them all, a voice escaping its mouth.

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you!" Morgana-san hissed. All of them jolted back when they realized the voice was coming from his mouth.

"W-wait is that you, Morgana?!" Ann shouted in awe. Morgana-san glared at her.

"How dare you up and leave me after all I did for you the other day!" Morgana-san hissed at all of them. Ann and Ryuji felt increasingly guilty, Akira turning his head away as sweat poured down his forehead.

"The cats talkin'?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Morgana-san turned around to face Ryuji and growled, "I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a _lot_ of trouble finding you three!"

"Wait… You came to our world?!" Ryuji walked up closer to Morgana-san with wide eyes and gasped, "Does that mean you've got a phone?!"

"You don't need one when you're at my level. I did get pretty lost making my escape though…"

"Besides that, why can you talk right now? You're a cat in this world!" Ann yelled at him, pointing her finger at the cat with a mental image of a bipedal one still fresh in her mind. Morgana-san scratched his ear and yowled, "How should I know?!"

"Akira, you're hearin' this too, right?!" Ryuji pleaded with him.

"I'm pretty sure we're hallucinating…"

"We've gone off the deep end…!" Ryuji moaned in agony while Morgana-san just watched him with mild interest.

"You guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses."

"Oh, shuddup!" Ryuji scolded him. Morgana-san smiled, his tail flicking back and forth, haughtily speaking to them.

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida. You were pretty close just a moment ago," Morgana-san huffed, turning his head towards Akira. Akira quirked an eyebrow at the cat while Ryuji scoffed, "God, that condescendin' attitude! The thing's gotta be Morgana!"

"You just accepted it now…?" Ann questioned. Morgana-san's hair stood on end in defense, "You were still _doubting me?!"_

"Ah! Quiet down, shhh!" Ann bolted up from the bench, leaning forward to slam her hand down on Morgana-san's mouth to keep him silent, but two disciplinary committee people were already walking by them.

"We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?" The teacher groaned to the person next to him.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" They questioned. The teacher sighed, his posture lazy and tired, "Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

"Meow… Wait, doesn't that mean we're the only ones that can hear you?" Ann questioned Morgana-san. Morgana-san smiled up at her.

"It seems like it."

"What the hell's goin' on?" Ryuji questioned, extremely confused. His brain looked like it was going to explode from the onslaught of weird information, "Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier… Is it for real?"

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot," Morgana-san chided. Ryuji ignored the comment and rolled his arm, looking left and right.

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place…" Ryuji quickly grabbed Morgana-san by the neck and held him out towards Akira. "Hey, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!"

Akira sputtered but he opened up his bag, Ryuji shoving the cat inside of it harshly.

"H-hey! How dare you treat me like—" Morgana-san's arguments and yowls of disapproval were ignored as they went up to the rooftop. Akira sat his bag down and Morgana-san crawled out of it, shaking himself off.

"…Don't be so _rough_ with me!" Morgana-san complained.

"Enough of that! You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida right?" Ryuji asked. Morgana-san nodded at his question, the three of them listening intently to what Morgana-san had to say.

"It has to do with what Shortie here was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle. That castle is what he views the school as. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?" Ryuji queried. Morgana-san smiled and scratched his ear.

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…"

"His desires would go with it," Akira responded to Morgana-san. Morgana-san meowed at him, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Precisely! You really do pick up things fast," Morgana-san praised. Akira looked away from him in embarrassment. Compliments are nice but _jeez_ are they embarrassing.

"W-wait, really? He'll turn good?! But… is that considered getting back at him? Aren't we just doing him a favor at that point…?" Ann questioned him.

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain," Morgana-san explained. "Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real?! That's possible?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement," Morgana-san explained. Ryuji smiled brightly, glad that there was _something_ they could do to bring the man down.

"That's _amazing!_ You are one incredible cat!" Ryuji complimented him, unknowingly insulting him at the same time.

"True, _except_ for the cat part!" Morgana-san argued back.

"So? How do we get rid of the Palace?!" Ryuji clenched his fists excitedly. Ann stared at Morgana-san with a smile, waiting for an answer. Akira was mostly blank-faced, unsure if this was even a good idea. There had to be _some_ repercussions. This isn't ethical either if you put it into perspective. Forcibly changing somebody's mind… isn't that sort of wrong?

"By stealing the treasure held within."

"Treasure…? Stealing? What does that mean?" Ann questioned.

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me up I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?"

Akira thought about it long and hard. He tried to scan through all of the information in his brain but he couldn't think of anything.

"Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…" Ryuji explained, shoving his hands in his pocket and staring at Morgana-san's blue eyes.

"I guess so… There's no other way," Akira said, taking a deep breath and looking at Morgana-san. "A-all right, we accept your deal."

"Good… Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you."

"Huh?" Akira breathed out. This was going to be some information that completely changes everything, right…?

"If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But _desires_ are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love— those sorts of things."

"What do you mean by that…?" Ann looked at him suspiciously. Akira could see the goosebumps starting to form on her skin since she knew the bad news for this was coming.

"If _all_ of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even _die_ if they're not given proper care," Morgana-san explained to them. Akira just crossed his arms and spent some time up in his head. "So…"

"They might die?!" Ryuji yelled. This was absurd, he didn't want to kill anyone! A chance is still a chance, somebody could _die._

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first?" Morgana-san groaned. Ann put her hand up to her mouth with wide eyes.

"Would their death be our fault then…?"

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" Morgana-san complained to them. Ann and Ryuji both looked at Akira for his opinion, but he was just gnawing at his lip and _thinking._ Too much thinking, it was hurting his head. There was too much to think about.

"…We have to risk it. I don't want to kill him, but… I don't think it'll kill him," Akira admitted.

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. Akira would risk killing someone to end Kamoshida's tyranny, he didn't care.

"Sheesh… I come all this way, and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out," Morgana-san said.

"T-that _isn't_ the point," Akira told him. "I-It's not the fact that we'll be found out, it's the fact that we'll be taking matters into our own hands and that we might kill him without consequences. I-I could become a mass murderer in a second."

"Yeah! If we went around like that, playing with other people and doing whatever we want… We'd be just like the person we're trying to stop." Morgana-san flicked his tail at Ann's response.

"Ughh, isn't this your only option? …I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then," Morgana-san turned around and fled from the rooftop of the school. He could hear the startled yelps of students on the third floor, most likely from the random cat running around their halls.

"Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing… Dammit!" Ryuji cursed before looking up at the other two. "I'll try and see if I can figure out another way… C'mon, let's go."

Ann fixed the strap on her bag and brushed her bangs aside. "I'll see what I can do also. You just sit back, Akira. We'll take care of this… We're the ones who roped you into this anyways."

Akira agreed with them hesitantly. He felt bad that they were doing all of the work for him, but it didn't seem that they were going to back down if he said he'd help.

Ann and Ryuji headed for the station and Akira stayed behind to clear his head out. His phone rumbled, the raven-haired boy yawning as he peaked at the texts.

**《Whats up people?!?! (3)》**

**|3:13 PM|April 14th|**

**Ryuji:** yo ive been hearin some rumors about suzui and kamoshida

 **Ann:** ugh, its probably something stupid…

 **Ryuji:** rumors have got to stem from somewhere!!! im at the station already but if you can listen in on some things akira thatd be nice

 **Akira:** on it. i'll see what i can pick up on. i'll report back here!

 **Ann:** i salute you good sir! be careful on your mission!

Akira shoved his phone into his pocket and started walking over and listened in on the conversations of the many students still hanging around. A lot of them were talking about Ann and Kamoshida, the three of them hanging out together, and other things like that.

"I saw Takamaki hanging out with the transfer student. They were even holding hands! Don't tell me she has him wrapped around her finger too…?" A female student said to her friend. Both of them were sour and rude.

"The two of them seem perfect together. A slut and a delinquent is a perfect match in my book. They won't be going after anyone else, at least."

"Really? He doesn't seem like the guy to have a criminal record. He looks like a doll, he has a cute face if you think about it."

"Maybe he's one of those people in those accidents. You know, the ones where they freak out and attack people?"

"Huh, he seems pretty normal though. He's just been coming to school and mostly keeping to himself. Not only that, but I heard after you have a psychotic breakdown you go brain dead and die right there."

Akira stopped listening to them, finding their comments rather odd. Psychotic breakdowns, huh? He read about them on the news, are they that widespread in Tokyo?

He moved onto different conversations, picking up tidbits about Ann, Ryuji, and himself. But once he heard something about Shiho-san, he latched onto the conversation like a parasite.

"Sakamoto's been asking questions about the volleyball team. Just who does he think he is?" A male student asked the more carefree student next to him.

"The volleyball team's never going to tell him anything. They're all completely loyal to Kamoshida."

"Well, if Kamoshida likes them, their future is pretty much set. Of course they'd back him up. Speaking of which, I hear Kamoshida's new favorite girl is someone named Suzui." Akira bit his lip and paid full attention to the mention of Shiho-san's name. Kamoshida's new favorite girl, _Kamoshida's new favorite girl._ Something felt off about it and it crept up into Akira's spine.

"Oh, the girl who was chosen to be a regular?" The carefree student responded, "Ah, her face was all swollen. It looked pretty bad."

Akira didn't know why, but his legs were taking him back over to the school. He didn't know why his legs were taking him back to the school, but they were going anyway. He took his phone out and quickly typed into the chat.

**Akira:** hey, if i don't respond to the chat in like 2 hours, start spamming the chat like mad.

He looked around for Shiho-san inside of the school. The gym, each floor, the library, everywhere. And when he finally found her, Akira saw that she was heading in the direction of the P.E. faculty office. She was taking slow steps, drawing it out and making sure she could take as much time as humanly possible before the inevitable.

"Shiho-san?" Akira questioned her worriedly. She spun around to meet Akira in the eyes. Her tense stature softened at the sight of him.

"Oh, hi. Do you need anything…?" Akira walked right up to her and stared at her straight in the eyes.

"Let me take your place."

"W-what?!" She gasped out at his words.

"…Look, I don't want you to get hurt anymore. You're already injured as it is, so it's better if I, someone who hasn't been hurt, takes your place," Akira explained. "I feel like something bad's going to happen to you."

"No way am I doing that. I'm doing this for Ann—"

"Do you think that Ann wants this? That she wants you to sacrifice yourself for her like this?"

Shiho stayed silent, knowing that Ann would never want her to be in pain and suffer for her own sake. "…Ann cares about you. She really loves you Shiho. Please, please let me do this for you. I can handle it… I don't want to run away anymore. I want to be strong."

"Kurusu-kun… O-okay, but immediately call someone after, or even try to escape if you can," she gave him an awkward hug for good luck. It felt brash and anxious, but it felt nice and warm. Shiho was a good person, a kind and understanding person. It was such a shame that she had to go through so much trouble.

"I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle. Go and hang out with Ann today, okay? I think she'll appreciate it." Shiho gathered herself together and gave him a bright smile that almost blinded him before waving goodbye. She finally had time for herself where she didn't have to worry about Kamoshida's wrath.

When Akira approached the door to the faculty office, the hallways had been mostly cleared out, the students heading home and gone for the day. Yet here he stood, right in front of his potential doom. Just a few punches, a few bruises, nothing he'd be afraid of.

Akira had promised Ann something. She asked if he'd help keep Shiho safe and he agreed to it. He wasn't going to let her down like that. Shiho was everything to Ann, so he'd make sure that she'd stay by her side until the end, even if he had to pay the price for it.

So, he put his hand on the door and opened it up, ready to go face to face with the disgusting pervert of a teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -akira REALLY does not value his life enough :^)  
> -akira is considered a child prodigy. he has perfect pitch and can play most string instruments as well as the piano
> 
> Next Chapter: Ann and Ryuji talk about their middle school days and comforts her when a certain person calls her phone and slams down some depressing news.


	5. Side Chapter 1: Paying You Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji catches a familiar blonde-haired girl crying. They talk about their middle school days, untold secrets, and bond over rumors that hold no weight. The calm before the storm.

Ryuji was standing in the station, pocketing his phone after he and Ann had told Akira to check up on the rumors for them. He had already taken one of the trains out to get home, but he still had one more to go. He couldn't wait to see his Ma's face again after what happened that day.

Walking out of the train and into the station, he came across a familiar pair of blonde pigtails. Ryuji's face perked up, jogging up to Ann and outstretching his hand to pat her shoulder.

"Hey—"

"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." Ann said. Ryuji was about to look offended before he realized she had her phone up to her ear, slightly crouched away from the rest of the people and speaking into it. "Wait, what?! That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?!"

A pause before she yelled back into the mic, "This has nothing to do with Shiho!" She shot back before her eyes went wide, staring down at the screen of her phone only to see the call had been ended. Ann stood there before crumbling onto the floor, crouching and wrapping her arms around her red-legging legs.

"Shiho's... Starting position..." Ann muttered. Ryuji couldn't stand watching this. He walked up to Ann and crouched down at her level, looking up into her sapphire eyes.

"Ann...?" He questioned. Ann bolted her eyes back up to meet Ryuji's before standing up straight and stepping back from him, who stood up with a slightly shaky leg.

"Ryuji...?! Wait, were you listening?" She asked him.

"Well, uh, not on purpose— I heard enough though. Kamoshida called you, ain't that right?" Ryuji questioned her. Ann bit her lip and put her hand on the strap of her school bag.

"Haven't you heard of privacy?!" She burst out before suddenly regretting her words when Ryuji looked at her with a shocked face. Ann shook her head and took another step back. "No, sorry for saying that... I was out of line."

She felt tears welling up and the corner of her eyes, wiping them away with her sleeve before giving a fake and plastered on a smile at Ryuji, who wasn't buying it, a concerned expression in his face.

"Don't worry, it's nothing... Nothing at all..." She said, her expression souring before wiping away at hee forming tears once again before running off and away from Ryuji.

"Ann!" Ryuji called at, cursing under his breath before taking a deep breath. He was antsy, punching the side of his bad right leg and gritting his teeth before coming to the decision that he had to run.

 _"Work with me on this, leg!"_ He pleaded before running after Ann, following her down the stairs and almost tripping over his feet. This was _not_ easy, but he kept following her at a blinding pace. Ryuji has breathing heavily when he finally caught up to Ann standing by a bright green pillar, her eyes red from crying and being angry.

"Stop following me, Ryuji... I just want to be alone!" She complained to him before he latched onto her wrist lazily, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I-it ain't... It ain't easy for me to run, Ann. But I'm not just gonna leave you," Ryuji said to her, still out of breath with his right leg aching. Ann bit her lip.

"Stop... I really don't get you, Ryuji." Ann sobbed and wiped away her tears. "...Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Ryuji looked up at her and nodded, comforting her as they walked silently to a Big Bang Burger, sitting down in one of the booths as two glasses of water were set right beside the both of them.

"...You've been hanging out with me long enough to know the rumors aren't true, especially after that crazy castle... But they're still there." Ann explained, playing with a napkin with her index finger as the morning sun slowly poured into the horizon, an orange sheen painting the scene in front of him. Ryuji was sitting up straight, listening to her intently. He was never good at this kind of stuff. Hell, he might not be good at _anything_ but he knew all he could do was lend an ear. "Everyone keeps saying that we're getting it on, but it's so not true...! I've been avoiding giving him my number for the longest time... He... He told me to go to his place after this..."

Ann latched onto the napkin, her manicured hands digging into the soft paper. "You know what that means."

Ryuji stayed silent, not knowing what to say, but he was trembling. Trembling with anger. He could only look at the glass of water in front of him, the area outside of it soaking the table from the condensation of the ice water.

"If I turn him down, he said he'd take Shiho off as a regular on the team... This entire time, even after going into that castle and seeing his corrupted heart, I've been dealing with him all for Shiho's sake while heading in there with you guys..." Ann's voice was shaking, her pink lips trembling. "I can't take it anymore... I've had enough of this... I hate him!" She started crying.

"But still... Shiho's my best friend... She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school!" She sobbed, looking at Ryuji in the eye. Ryuji's mouth went dry when he met her blue orbs. "Tell me... What should I do...?"

Ryuji's hands dug into the plaid fabric of his pants at her question. Ann quickly wiped away her tears and sniffled, looking down at the table in sorrow. "Sorry... I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem."

That broke Ryuji. He quickly shot out of his seat and shoved his face close to Ann, who looked up at him in surprise.

"Not my problem? Not my _problem?!_ Ann, are you kiddin'?! We're in this together! You, me, Akira, and Shiho, we're all going through this. We're here for you. And when we take down that bastard Kamoshida, which we _will,_ you won't have to worry about what to do because we— We're already _doin' it."_ He explained to her. Ryuji was suddenly eloquent with his words and now his brain couldn't come up with anything else to say, which ended up as a dumpster fire of word garbage. "So, uh, I uh, we'll— We'll..."

Ann was laughing. Quite literally laughing in his face, the tear streaks dried and replaced with a smile. "You... You really are weird, Ryuji. I should have expected you to say that." Ann chuckled. Ryuji's cheeks lit up pink as he slumped back into his chair and brought a glass of water up to his face, taking a sip despite how thirsty he was.

"Yeah, you _should've."_ Ryuji shot back. Ann let out a large sigh and they both sat there in comfortable silence before she spoke up again.

"Usually people wouldn't say anything. Hell, some people wouldn't even go after a sobbing teenage girl to get themselves into this situation." Ann told him. "I knew when Kamoshida broke your leg in 'self-defense' something was off. Even in middle school, you were a bit brash and acted based on how you were feeling, but you wouldn't attack someone for no reason."

"...I knew that Kamoshida must have done something to you when he started to pursue me. It all made too much sense. Kamoshida's disgusting heart..." Ann thought back. Ryuji finally chugged down his water and set it onto the table with a thump, his elbow on the table while supporting his face.

"Ya know, when I heard the rumors, I knew they were complete and utter _bullshit._ You aren't the type of person to go out and fuck a teacher, you know?" Ryuji said to her. "Well, I uh, do you know the reason I dyed my hair...? Back in middle school?"

Ann looked up at him quizzically. "No, not really. I just thought you liked how it looked. ...Wait a second. You don't mean—"

"Oh, shuddup..."

"You dyed your hair because of me?!" She asked him completely bewildered at the sentiment. Ryuji scratched his head and looked away from her prying gaze.

"A-and because I liked how it looked! But, yeah... The kids that were making fun of you for havin' blonde hair pissed me off, so I dyed it. I told them off and that they should make fun of me now too, but of course they were too scared. Sons of bitches..." Ryuji thought back. He remembered it so clearly, a young Ann with her hair tied back in a ponytail sitting alone at her desk while other kids chattered and pointed at her behind their backs. It was their final year of middle school, third years. They were put in the same class yet _again_ and Ryuji was starting to get pissed from hearing the same shit over and over again.

So he dyed it. He was already pretty known in his track team and teachers wouldn't care enough to egg him on about his hair, so he changed the color. They stopped bullying her after he did it, especially after he confronted them with a mean look.

"Aw, thanks Ryuji! We weren't even that close yet you did it anyway?" Ann asked him.

"Tired of hearin' the same shitty comments for three years, of 'course I'd do it to get my ears a break." He said, trying to make an excuse. Ann smiled at him again.

"But really... Thanks for what you said. You're right, we're already taking him down. Together with Akira and Shiho by my side, I'm sure we can do this. It sucks that Akira is suffering through this also. You've heard them talking, haven't you?"

"'Course I have. That Akira assaulted someone and almost killed them, that he does drugs, carries a knife around in his bag, robs stores, and smokes after school... Let's be real, Akira wouldn't hurt a fly. Akira would've probably had a happier school life if his record wasn't leaked in the first place, but that bastard Kamoshida is unpredictable. I feel bad for the dude, he's so polite and shy that it hurts to see him like this." Ryuji said to her. Ann fully agreed with his statement.

"I know I said that Shiho's the only one left in that school that I care about, but you guys are my friend too. I'd hate for you guys to get hurt... I want to do my best for you guys. Even if I don't have a crazy demon by my side to help out, I'll help out another way. Just you wait, Shujin! I'll take your _precious_ P.E. teacher down in a flash!" Ann smiled. Ryuji smiled back at her and rubbed under his nose.

"That's the Takamaki I know of! We're gonna beat him until he can't move! Whether we take that cat's deal or not, he's goin' down either way." Ryuji told her while picking his glass of water and bringing it up to his mouth, only to realize all of the water was gone and only small ice cubes remained.

"Hah, loser."

"Shut it."

"I'm just kidding. How about I buy us a few sodas and burgers? I don't know about you, but all of that talking made me hungry..." She said, sitting up from the booth seat and sliding out.

"H-huh? You don't hafta, I'm fine."

"Consider it as thanks for the wake-up call. And it's also to pay you back for the beef bowls. From now on, I want you two to rely on me. I'm not a weak dumb blonde. I want to be stronger, for Shiho. For you. For Akira. But most importantly, myself." She said, smiling and grabbing her bag off of the seat and slinging it around her shoulder and walking up to the cash register. Ryuji sighed, the headstrong girl already at the cash register before realizing she didn't even ask what Ryuji wanted. She turned back an embarrassing mess when Ryuji sat up from his seat to stand beside her to order.

When they got their food and sat back at the table, Ryuji pulled out his phone to see an incoming text from Akira.

**Akira:** Hey, if i don't respond to the chat in like 2 hours, start spamming the chat like mad.

Ryuji and Ann both looked at it in confusion, looking up from their phones and meeting each other's eyes before shrugging and typing in their respective responses.

**Ryuji:** u better be ready for some shitty copypastas if u dont

 **Ann:** meme central time!!

**Messages unread.**

And they stayed unread even when he and Ann parted ways. Even when he sat in his bed and looked through his manga, the messages still stayed unread. Even after they spammed the chat, everything was still unread. A sinking feeling sat inside of Ryuji's stomach. When his phone buzzed, Ryuji had a smile on his face knowing it was from the group because of the notification sound he gave it. It was Akira and everything would be fine.

His blood went cold when he saw the message. It had been three hours, three hours since he and Ann talked, three hours after they talked about how they'd protect each other and how Akira wasn't deserving of the hatred he had. Akira, a sweet and shy kid who wanted the best for everyone.

**Akira:** help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bite-sized chapter to prepare you for the next one.
> 
> -ann and ryuji have a lot of potential chemistry with each other! they probably fuel each other's ambitions sinve they both want to better themselves in something that they worked at or were working at  
> -ryuji had ann in all of his classes throughout middle school, so they know enough about each other.  
> -ryuji dyed his hair for ann. cute!  
> -a lot of intimate character interaction will definitely be in side chapters like these


	6. Chapter 4: Wished You Were Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An encounter with Kamoshida causes pain, regret, and a lot of comfort for Akira. Yet, it seems like no matter what, his luck is always on the short side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh rating change! It's explicit now.
> 
> Welcome back to akira being self-sacrificial because he doesn't value himself oop- 💅

Standing there, face to face. Face to face, face to face, _face to face._ Akira's knees were shaking, not knowing why he decided to do this. Did he hate himself this much? Was it really this bad? Kamoshida looked up from his office chair, the only people in the room with the door shut tight. The man clicked his tongue.

"What are you doing here?" He ordered from Akira. Akira stiffened up but responded with a clear answer.

"Saving a friend."

Kamoshida laughed as he stood up from his chair, the weak piece of furniture aching from the weight of Kamoshida. The man went straight up to him and Akira looked up at him. Kamoshida looked like he was two feet taller than him. He had muscle on him, and it terrified Akira. It would hurt, it would hurt so bad.

"Saving a friend, huh? Who?" He asked. Akira swallowed his saliva.

"Shiho."

"Suzui, huh? First-name basis, are we? She told you about me, didn't she? Naughty girl, she substituted you for herself. How awful," he chided.

"I'm sorry, sir. You seem to be mistaken. I'm taking her place out of my own will," Akira swallowed his saliva, his hands going numb from how hard he squeezed them. Kamoshida cackled.

"How sweet of you, Moon Yejun! You've been born with a silver spoon in your mouth and a life of grandeur, so you haven't gotten this through your _thick skull,"_ Kamoshida growled, reaching his hand out and locked the door. Akira was ready to bolt, ready to save himself. "Life isn't sugar and candy."

Kamoshida's hands latched harshly onto his hair and pulled upwards, taking a few of his strands with it. Akira gasped, his own pale hands reaching out to try and pry Kamoshida's hand off of him. He tore unto Kamoshida's skin with his fingernails, making sure to dig them in as far as he could. The man hissed in pain, mocking him as he overpowered him.

"Your momma's a famous woman in your town. Your papa sells jewelry to the rich and famous and their beautiful son has beautiful eyes and a beautiful heart to match," Kamoshida hissed, reaching out to take Akira's glasses off and he tossed them aside. "How disgusting."

He slammed Akira to the ground with all of his strength, Akira gasping out when his back crashed onto the hard floor. He immediately recovered, trying to pull himself off the ground until Kamoshida kicked him in the side.

"Ack—Ergh, get off—!" Akira choked out when Kamoshida sat on his legs and pinned his arms above him with one hand. It felt like Kamoshida was crushing his wrists. Punches were being continuously thrown at his face, scratches on his skin as blood poured out of his nose. When Kamoshida got bored of that, he took both of his hands and _squeezed_ his neck.

Nothing. Akira felt nothing, yet he felt everything at the same time. He was flooded with dark emptiness, his mind battling with the pain and fear. Akira kept kicking and clawing at him even if he was slowly losing air. He conserved as much of it as possible.

"People would pay to fuck your brains out," Kamoshida said, the words barely going through Akira's head from the loss of oxygen. He felt tugging down at his pants. And that's when Akira's mind went blank.

There was a possibility. There was a possibility that he would do this, and he knew it. But he threw it away, thinking that Kamoshida was a horrible person, but he wouldn't be _that_ bad. He was.

He was that bad.

"But I get to have you for free."

A surge of energy shot through Akira when he realized that Kamoshida had shoved his hand down into his trunks. Akira yelled in a fury of power, breaking free of Kamoshida's grasp. Just as he was about to punch the man in the face, he stopped. He couldn't punch him. He had the advantage, he had the advantage and could blame him just like he did with Ryuji.

He used all of the strength in his arms to pull himself off the ground. Kamoshida's angry expression sent jolts down his spine. He was petrified, but he had to run.

Akira stood up faster than a bolt of lightning and quickly grabbed a stack of papers sitting neatly on one of the teacher's desks, running for the door and tossing the entire stack straight at Kamoshida's face. Akira's hands twisted the lock off and his hands were so close to twisting the doorknob to freedom, but even though he was fast, he wasn't fast enough. Pain. Pain on the right side of his face bloomed as Akira's body fell to the ground like a ragdoll. He felt his lip bust and blood welled up in his mouth, not having enough time to spit it out when Kamoshida incapacitated him once again. The taste of iron in his mouth was putrid, red blood staining his lips as he looked at the man with a terrified expression.

Kamoshida's eyes were dark and clouded over with lust, the papers and documents that he had grabbed were scattered everywhere. He had numerous injuries on him. The scratches, the punches, the papercuts, but the man was too pumped up on adrenaline to notice it. More, the man wanted more. More than what Akira could provide and more than he wanted to give, which was _nothing._ But Kamoshida would take it anyway.

To savor the taste of a teenage star, to inhale the smell of a virgin so sweet, to take advantage of a _child._ It was all too appealing, too juicy to pass up. Akira felt like a deer caught in headlights, a bear staring him down, ready to devour him.

Kamoshida reached for something, a tie. He wrapped it around Akira's wrists, who started to scream like a madman, flopping around and spazzing to get the man to stop. Time, he needed time, he needed to stall until it was over but nothing would work anymore. He was at a complete loss, in the minus score…

Even when his mother reprimanded his looks, even when his father slapped his face, even when his peers in school jeer at him, even when his higher-ups look at him with lust as they caress a hand on his thigh, he always had a plan and an end goal. He always came out in the end, even if he ended up beaten and bruised. He was alive, he was breathing, and that was all that mattered.

But there was nothing now.

Kamoshida started at the jacket, ripping the buttons off and pulling his turtleneck above his head, the shirt resting at his forearms. His suspenders were off to the side, crumpled up under his lower back. Akira struggled as much as he could, only for sharp pain in his stomach to occur and all of the air escaping the lungs.

"Ack—! Agh, krrk—" Akira coughed, trying to get in air as Kamoshida ran his hands all over his body. His hands grazed over Akira's pretty pink nipples, Akira's breath hitching in his throat from the shock of it. Kamoshida's hands moved roughly to his pants undoing the zipper and button hidden under the fabric and pulling his pants down. You could see the bruises forming all over his body, certain patches were sensitive and hurt Akira. When Kamoshida started to slide off his trunks, he screamed. This couldn't be happening, this _wasn't_ happening. It's just a dream, just a figment of his imagination. Nothing, nothing nothing nothing _nothing—_

"Ah—!" Akira gasped out at the cold feeling pressing on his lower region. Kamoshida immediately took Akira's penis into his hand, his thumb grazing over the head. Akira's eyebrows knitted together, his teeth drilling down into his already bleeding lip only to make it worse. He refused to cry. Crying draws unneeded attention, crying is for the weak, crying will only draw hatred. Do not cry, no matter what.

Akira's expression didn't match the look that Kamoshida had. Akira's member matched the color of his nipples and his lips, a light and almost pastel color. His member wasn't erect, not even close to it.

"Shit, kid… I've never been into men, but you're the exception. Fuck…" Kamoshida groaned, palming at his pants. Akira stopped breathing when he realized the tent in it. Kamoshida finally started to pump Akira's member. He mewled weakly, not wanting to submit and admit to the pleasure. His mind was going insane, he was going crazy.

He really was going crazy, because Akira started laughing, the twinges of pain and pleasure stopping his deranged chuckles.

"D-don't think that you'll— Ah—! Get… away… with this—!" Akira contained his moans as Kamoshida kept jerking him off. He was leaking a small bit of precum, his knees shivering and buckling. Akira's back arched from the pleasure, but he refused to accept it. Instead of moaning out in pain, Akira drowned it out with screaming.

 _"This is nothing, this is nothing. None of this affects me,"_ Akira kept telling himself. When Kamoshida started to pull down his pants and underwear to his knees, Akira repeated the words faster in his head and more vehemently.

A few minutes after that, Akira's mind was missing in a few places. He was experiencing what was happening but he wasn't at the same time. He knew what it was, he was seeing that it was _him,_ but it didn't feel like him. He was terrified, terrified, and _hurt._

When Akira finally came back from his trance, he didn't realize moans were slipping from his mouth as Kamoshida lifted his pale and skinny legs onto his shoulders, his legs spread apart, and his hole on display.

Akira was a pretty person. Beautiful with pale white skin, pink lips, pretty eyes, a clean area downstairs with barely any pubic hair with a soft and gorgeous face. Kamoshida licked his lips as he lined himself up, not caring for the consequences. He was rock hard, the tip of his dick right at the entrance of Akira's asshole. A virgin, Akira was a virgin.

He moaned pitifully, his member leaking precum as Kamoshida kept pumping him. All of these feelings overwhelmed him. This had been the most pitiful and overwhelmed he's felt in years. It was a surge of something he hadn't experienced in such a long time, making it foreign and unpleasurable. It felt good, it felt bad, it hurt, it felt nice, he was living, he was _dying—_ It all amalgamated into a disgusting and unreachable feeling.

"Holy shit, holy shit, fuck yeah…" Kamoshida groaned out, his hand leaning over Akira's nipples and suckling on one like a baby. Kamoshida suddenly grinned, opening his mouth and biting around his areola, Akira gasping out at the sudden spike of pain, his penis jolting up at the sensation and dripping even more precum.

"I fucking knew it. You like this don't you, huh? You wanted somebody to fuck your brains out, didn't you? You like being hurt, even your dick is telling you. Fucking masochistic slut," Kamoshida cussed to him. Akira just panted heavily as the area around his nipple beaded with blood. Kamoshida was unrelenting, a crazed look in his eyes as he kept biting down everywhere he could. His inner thighs, his shoulder, his neck. Kamoshida licked the side of Akira's face. Akira tried his best to bite off his mouth, baring his teeth in all of its glory.

When he felt Kamoshida trying to push in, he tried to push away any thoughts. He was done for, this was it. He shouldn't care, he _didn't_ care. That's right, it doesn't matter. Don't think about it, just float away…

And then a beep. Multiple beeps started to come out of his phone, spammed messages with a familiar ringtone. The group chat… Had it already been two hours? His phone was blowing up, blowing up beyond recognition. Kamoshida clicked his tongue. His dick had lost its hardness at the sudden interruption, Akira thanking god that Ryuji and Ann lived up to what he said. Thank you, thank you…

"Shit… I was getting into it too. Maybe next time. You got lucky, but just because I'm not going to fuck you, it doesn't mean you aren't going to leave unscathed," Kamoshida groaned, picking up Akira's precum and smearing it onto his index finger. He brought it close to Akira's rectum, playing at his pink hole and grinning. Akira gasped out at the sudden sensation, his dick twitching when Kamoshida thrust his thick finger inside of him. Drool was seeping down the side of his mouth, a cut-off scream coming out his throat. It hurt, it hurt so much— Kamoshida kept thrusting the finger in and out, working him out little by little.

"Ah! Ack— Ergh!" Akira coughed loudly, his moans pushing through his pained voice. Kamoshida was tearing down the facade little by little, leaving nothing but garbage and filth.

"You're insane," Kamoshida stopped and pulled out his finger to hear the boy's response. Akira panted, dripping with sweat as he lifted his head slightly. The dead expression of his grey eyes, the coldness of the color sent chills up his spine. Ah, this was the kid. The real him was hard to tell, but it seemed like this was it. A passive-aggressive wreck that refused to give up. Akira hissed back at him through his busted lip, "You are too, you pervert."

Kamoshida didn't like that answer, slamming in two fingers and scissored the poor boy open and continuously screwing into his prostate. Akira couldn't contain his voice anymore when Kamoshida kept fucking into him like that. Akira's legs were folded onto his body as Kamoshida's finger kept punching into him. Kamoshida fisted his erection, pumping it up and down at a blinding pace.

Akira felt like he was going to retch and he was considering how satisfying it would be to projectile vomit onto the man, but he decided not to. It made him look vulnerable. It soon increased to three fingers, and Akira moaned in pain and pleasure, the borders between everything fading away. The adrenaline was starting to wean away, leaving the soreness and pain of his body, the blood on his nose drying up as Akira kept coughing and shaking his head through everything to mask up the disgusting nature of everything around him. From the bruises on his body to the blood on his lips, none of it matters if you ignore it.

"Ha, agh—! Ah, ah—" Akira couldn't even form words at this point, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. It was a hard and warm feeling that was released with a scream-like moan, a ropey mess of white spreading onto his stomach.

He can feel his body shivering and a lack of warmth. He felt so _cold_ and devoid of everything right now. His legs shivered when Kamoshida pressed his thighs together, the man shoving his dick between them and rutting into it like a dog in heat. Yes, that was what Kamoshida was— A dog that couldn't control their desires. Akira gasped when Kamoshida's length slid up against his own, sensitive from just cumming.

Kamoshida groaned, releasing his load onto Akira's stomach. It stunk, the smell of cum and sweat permeating the room and making Akira's breath grow slower. His body was shaking, barely able to move. Kamoshida recovered quickly, cleaning off his dick with a box of tissues nearby and dumping it into the trash can.

He shoved his cock back inside his pants, pulling up his sweatpants and grinning at his accomplishment lying naked and disheveled on the floor. Bite marks and bruises littered his body, hickeys misplaced, and a memory that Akira wouldn't forget, yet at the same time had already wiped from his mind. Akira breathed heavily, his hair matted. He whined when Kamoshida leaned down to untie his wrists, not wanting the man to take another step closer.

"If you tell anyone what happens, I'll make you my sex slave. You better come to my office tomorrow after school, we aren't finished. I still have better people to play with in this school, but I have to ask—" Kamoshida said to him, walking up to the door and opening it slightly before saying one final thing. "…You protected Suzui as you wanted. Are you happy?"

And he left Akira there, a broken mess. Broken, but still determined. He had time to think of what he needed to do next. Should he call Ryuji and Ann? Should he just leave everything be? No, it'd be fine. He could deal with this himself, just like he had always done.

 _"But it isn't fine,"_ Akira told himself as he laid on the floor, the skin hugging his ribcage feeling swollen and tight. _"Nothings been fine for the longest time. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself when I know it's bad… I just—"_

Yet Akira somehow gathered his strength to pull himself up as he had been for the past sixteen years of his life. His elbows shook at the pressure from holding his entire upper body up, his pants only wrapping one of his legs with his shoes partially tugged off. When he finally pulled himself up, he scooted his back onto the wall. A routine, a daily routine that he knew how to conform to. If you get beaten up, pull yourself back up.

But he couldn't do that this time, he was too weak, too pitiful, too sad to look at. Was he finally strong like Shiho said? Was he happy that he protected her? Was he that spoiled? He didn't know. He never knew. He never had to give his own opinion until he got to Tokyo, he had never been given the chance to act freely, so he didn't have an answer. As much as Akira plans and thinks about answers, he can never give a personal one.

He reached out to the tissue box Kamoshida had cleaned himself with, Akira's arm weakly stretching out to the edge of the desk, successfully making it tumble to the ground. He tugged a few out, not knowing the exact number, and cleaned himself up. The cum stained on his stomach, the leftover precum on his now limp member, the remnants of Kamoshida's abuse on his behind. Just wipe it all away, wipe it all away, and don't think.

Akira had the decency to slowly pull up his underwear. He tried getting his pants up, but his energy was too sapped.

He pulled his pants up halfway, but he couldn't do anything else, he was so sure he was going to pass out in a minute. He quickly pulled out his phone and unlocked it with his fingerprint, typing out cohesive words to the group chat. For the first time, he was relying on someone else. It hurt his pride, but he did it anyway. For himself.

**Akira:** help

 **Incoming call from《yes officer, this man right here—》Accept it?** **2/3** **in the call.**

Akira would laugh at the name of their chat if he wasn't about to pass out. He tried to tap his finger onto it, energy slowly leaving his body as he finally answered it, putting it on speaker.

"Akira?!"  Ryuji called out. Akira was silent, trying to say something but it wouldn't roll off of his tongue.

"…'Elp…" He slurred with his voice gravelly and unpleasant sounding.

"Akira, speak up. Please, you're scaring me…!"  Ann panicked. Akira coughed loudly, trying to get the words out.

"P.E…. P.E. faculty office… Kamoshida…" He called out to them.

"Shit… I'm going right now. Do _not_ hang up on me 'Kira. Do _not._ Dammit— Ma, I'm headin' out for a bit!"  Akira heard Ryuji call out. He heard another voice on the line call out to Ryuji, muffled and unclear.

"Aren't you going to have dinner?"  Ryuji's mom questioned, presumably setting the table.

"Y-yeah, but I need to hurry. Go ahead and eat without me!"  He could hear the audible stomping of shoes and opening of the a before it was closed shut.

"I'm coming too— I— Give me a second, I'm hurrying. Crap, where are my shoes?!"  He heard Ann. He heard her run down the stairs of her house before tapping her shoes on and leaving the house. They were both running, he could hear them gasping. It seemed like both of them were wearing headphones to keep the conversation private.

"Akira, tell me what happened. I need to know, what did he do to you?"  Ann asked. Akira stayed silent, still not knowing what he should say.

"I-I don't— I don't wanna talk about it… Just hurry." Akira stuttered out pathetically, trying to contain all of his feelings in a bubble. It hurt. It was like his brain had turned to slush and dear god was he trying to stay awake but his eyelids kept closing in on itself.

"All right, I'm at the station. Goddammit, I have to take two trains to get there,"  Ryuji said, tapping his foot incredibly impatient and anxious.  "C'mon train, move _faster!"_

"Ryuji is that you?!"  Ann called out from her end. He heard an echo from Ryuji's side. Ah, guess they found each other.

"Oh shit! Ann, over here! Yeah, it's me. C'mon, the trains stopping. Let's go in."  Ryuji waved. There was now a noticeable echo since the two should be side by side, crammed inside of a train.

It took twenty minutes for them to finally arrive in Aoyama-Itchome. Akira was breathing softly, listening to their encouragements and pleas for him to keep his eyes open.

"Ryuji, the gates closed. Ugh, of course it is. It's after school hours…"  Ann groaned, shaking and kicking at the bars on the other side of the line. Akira could hear her struggling to try and climb them.

"Follow me! I know another way in. I used to take it to practice runnin' in the school's gym after hours."  Akira could hear them running around the area and the sudden crunching of clothing along the ground. Were they crawling through somewhere…?

A few minutes later, he could hear running down the hall and bashing on the door of the room he was in. The phone call had ended, Akira nearly crying at the sound of their voices right near them.

"Shit! Kamoshida locked the door. I'm busting it open!" Ryuji called out. He heard Ryuji slamming his body into the door over and over again. Akira bit his lip, looking over at the wooden door lurching harder and harder until it finally popped out of its lock, the damned thing opening up to reveal Akira.

Ryuji and Ann's mouths went dry. Akira's small and skinny body littered with bite marks, hickeys, and bruises. They were turning a dark purple, splotches of sickly yellow mixed in with it. Blood was stained on Akira's fingertips from struggling, blood dried under his nose, and onto his lip. Handprints stained the skin on Akira's neck, large bruises that would eventually form.

They knew what had happened when they saw Akira's pants half up and the bite mark around his nipple. An animal, a monster. Kamoshida was the worst.

Ryuji punched the wall and screamed in anger.

 _"THAT BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"_ Ryuji screamed. Ann walked up to Akira's shuddering frame, slowly reaching her arm out before enveloping him in her arms. Warm, it was warm and familiar. Like he was meant to stay in these arms. Like Akira was perfect for this. He fit in perfectly, resting his face in the crook of Ann's neck as she pets his hair and holds him close.

"A-Akira, Akira, I'm _so_ sorry I didn't come sooner. I could've prevented this, I'm _so sorry."_ She sobbed, holding Akira tighter. Akira hugged her back, smelling the scent of flowers and strawberries

"We're taking the 'effing deal. I don't care if he dies anymore. I don't _care anymore."_ Ryuji rumbled, walking up to Akira and holding his hand in his. Akira could only look him in the eyes, saying nothing. In her hair. He smiled into it, "This is nothing. Don't worry too much."

"Even if you're trying to make me feel better, it shouldn't be you doing it. _I_ should be the one to help you…" Ann cried, 

"My… My guardian, don't want him to see… He'll escalate the situation—"

"Dammit, you're right. Whose taking him for tonight?" Ryuji asked.

"I can't take him. I doubt Akira's guardian is going to let a boy and a girl sleep in the same house with no parental guidance," Ann explained. Akira nodded and it looked like it hit Ryuji in the head that they had to ask permission if Akira could stay over.

"I guess I'm the best bet, huh…? My ma would understand… All right, buddy, you're coming with me then. Ann, help me dress him back up," Ryuji instructed, pulling Akira's crinkled turtleneck back over his body as gently as possible. Ann slowly pulled Akira's pants up, his legs jolting whenever she accidentally touched his thighs, constantly spewing out 'sorry' when it happened.

Ann unzipped her jacket and put it around Akira to make him more comfortable. "Your school jacket is ruined, it'll be cold when we go out. Take mine for now… Okay?" She said to him. Ann's signature jacket. It smelled and felt comforting, Akira swallowing his thick saliva and nodding. Ryuji took Akira's phone and scrolled through his phone contacts.

"Sakura Sojiro, right? I'll call 'em, hold on. Uh, wait, shit— What lie are we goin' for?" He asked. Akira cleared his throat, giving a situation for Ryuji to roll with.

"Group project… Extra credit points. Need to work overnight on it— might as well sleepover…" Ryuji nodded and called the man, putting it on speakerphone. He could see the sweat dripping down Ryuji's forehead. The outcome of this all depends on him.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? It's past nine! Do you have any explanation?"  The angered man demanded.

"This is Sakamoto Ryuji speakin'. Uh, me and 'Kira have a group project to work on for extra credit. I was wonderin' if he could sleepover at my house today? D-dinner provided, of course. My ma's keepin' watch," Ryuji requested Sojiro-san as he started sweating and hoping that he agreed to his terms and conditions. Akira bit his lip, praying that Sojiro-san had any good in his heart to say yes.

"Extra credit, huh…? You're using his first-name. I'm glad that kid has friends already… All right, but next time I want him to ask _me._ I can't keep waitin' late like this for you kid, so you're in charge of the store next time. Free access to go outside also. Understand?"  Akira cleared his throat and made it as natural sounding as possible.

"Of course, sir…" He acknowledged, his voice coming out as unwavering and perfect, but paid the price by almost coughing his lungs up. Ann rubbed his back to comfort him.

"All right, I'll deliver 'Kira back safely, don't worry too much. Thanks, see ya," Ryuji reassured, hanging up the call and letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"All right Akira, I'm gonna put you on my back. You can't move, sorry if it's uncomfortable." Ryuji leaned down and put his back towards Akira. Ryuji wrapped his hands around Akira's thighs before pulling him with ease, extremely concerned at how light he was. Akira wrapped his arms around Ryuji's neck, feeling bad that he was just a ragdoll hanging onto him. Akira could walk, he could walk he knew he could walk. He just needed a bit of time…

"We have to hurry out of here, somebody might come through if we don't," Ann warned. She picked up Akira's bag off of the floor along with his discarded glasses, her shoes crunching along scattered pieces of paper. Akira was barely coherent the entire trip out of the school and the train rides out, Ryuji and Ann keeping a close eye on him the entire way through. When Ann hesitantly said her goodbyes and not wanting to leave Akira alone, Ryuji hauled Akira up to his apartment.

It was a standard Japanese complex, Ryuji's apartment right below the stairs leading up. Ryuji fumbled a hand into his pockets while balancing Akira on his back, pulling out his keys, and opening the door. Ann's jacket was warm and it smelled faintly of strawberries and chocolate. Sweet, maybe a bit too sweet for him but it was a gesture of kindness.

"Welcome back. Care to tell me why you left so sudden— Oh… Oh, dear." A dark-haired woman turned around from the kitchen sink with stern eyes before they turned soft and empathetic. She tugged off her pink gloves as Ryuji kicked his shoes off, laying Akira down on one of the cushions. Ryuji's mom looked exactly like him, with friendly eyes and a demeanor that Ryuji took after. She had black locks tied back into a messy bun, carefully going onto her knees next to Akira and scooting up.

"Oh my… This is why you left, didn't you? Please tell me what happened," she asked. Ryuji answered for her.

"Kamoshida… Kamoshida did this to him."

His mother clicked her tongue, looking down at the ground with resentment. "The same teacher that broke your leg… How _dare_ he. I don't understand why he's still in that school… Hold on, let me get some medicine and bandages. Undress him for me Ryuji," his mom instructed, standing up and walking towards where Akira presumed to be the bathroom.

Ryuji helped Akira take off his clothes, Akira shivering when his bare chest met with the cold wind. Ryuji grimaced, taking his sweet time to make Akira as comfortable as possible.

"I'm back. Sit up a little, sugar. There you go, it's all right now… Oh my god…" Ryuji's mother whispered to him while applying medicine onto his wounds, Akira wincing at the cool cream pressing onto his tender wounds. "I know it hurts, but you'll have to push through it."

"Ma, I'm gonna get a bath started for him," Ryuji called out, standing up and walking across the hard floor, walking away to go into the bathroom.

"You go and do that. I'll look after him. A nice meal, a hot bath, and warm clothes should make you feel better in the morning," she responded to Ryuji before turning back to Akira. When she got to his neck, Akira flinched away from her before steadying, the woman applying medicine onto him. "I haven't caught your name yet. I'm Sakamoto Iori, what's yours?"

"…K-Kurusu… Kurusu Akira…" Akira muttered out. She smiled, taking Akira's shoes off and placing them by the door and coming back to him, opening the box filled with bandages and sports tape.

"Ah, so you're the boy Ryuji's been talking about! He did say he made a friend. I'm glad he's taking care of you and that you're also taking care of him. Ryuji's a brash kid, but he has heart." Sakamoto-san smiled at him, taking some bandages out of the box and gently wrapping it around his wounds. "These are waterproof so you can shower safely."

"…Thank you," Akira said to her. Sakamoto-san smiled at him.

"Don't be. I'm doing this for someone in need. Are you feeling a bit better? Your voice seems to be coming back," she said. Akira nodded, the pain dwindling. Akira slowly stretched his limbs out, testing the limits they were able to go. Sakamoto-san suddenly put his limbs down and looked him straight in the eye.

"Do _not_ strain yourself. Just relax. Here, sit right there. I'm so glad I got a low table instead of a dining one… I'll bring you some food." Sakamoto-san sat up and headed into the kitchen.

It was an open area, the kitchen and the living room having little to no separation. There was a hall left of the main door into the house, shoji sliding screen doors that most likely led into their respective bedrooms. Across the bedrooms was the bathroom, it's a door wide open as Ryuji filled the tub with hot water. The sound of rushing water filled Akira's ears, who was glad he finally found some peace.

He tried to think of what happened, but it did feel like it had been wiped from his memory. Everything was hazy, but he still knew everything in detail at the same time. He didn't know what that feeling was… The feeling of Kamoshida's hands on somewhere only he and the person he loves should touch, the look of _lust_ that adults had given him throughout his life, the senseless and horny moans coming out of his mouth, the twitch of his dick when Kamoshida fucked into him while biting him at the same time.

A masochist slut. That's what Kamoshida called him, a masochist slut. That he put himself into that situation just so he could feel pain. But that wasn't true, he just wanted to protect Shiho… right?

"Here you are. It's not the best, but it's something. Homemade chicken soup," Sakamoto-san offered, placing the bowl down in front of him with a tap. She also brought him a ramen spoon, which wasn't a surprise considering how much Ryuji likes ramen.

He stared into the broth of the soup, taking a bit into his mouth. Akira didn't realize how hungry he was until now, which weirdly affected him when he started shoveling the noodles and chicken into his mouth.

"Yo, the baths ready. You feelin' better, 'Kira?" Ryuji asked him, sitting down next to him.

"A-as good as I can get… I guess," Akira responded plainly, focusing back on the soup. He finished it rather quickly, Ryuji wrapping Akira around him as he helped him into the bathroom. Akira's legs were still shaking and he couldn't stand properly, but at least he was making progress.

"You sure you don't need any help…? Look, I-I know I ain't good at this kinda stuff… My Ma's better at that, but I'm still trying. …If you wanna talk about what happened, you can. You also don't have to! Not forcin' you, ya know… Just, uh, ugh what am I sayin'… Have a nice bath," Ryuji said a flustered mess. Akira found it endearing that Ryuji cared enough about him to say that. Once Ryuji left the room, Akira started stripping his clothing off of his body. He sat on top of the toilet seat to steady himself.

He looked at himself in the mirror. Pale skin that didn't look sickly, a skinny frame with his ribcage popping out, numerous bandages covering his skin, his lip still busted and unkempt. Akira parted his hair to the side, the way it used to look like before he came to Tokyo. His hair was quite long but the waves in his hair made it seem a lot shorter than it is.

He's thinking about it again. Akira clamped his eyes shut and shook his head around. Why are you thinking about it? _Stop_ thinking about it, what good will it do you? The past is in the past, what happened doesn't matter now. Don't think about it.

So he slowly lowered himself into the bathtub, the water nice and hot as he settled into it, the water sloshing around. Akira would describe the Sakamoto residence as… Homely. He didn't know what it felt like personally, but if he had to pin it on something it would be this.

A mother's love for her son, and a son's love for his mother. Akira… _envied_ that aspect.

"Haah…" Akira breathed out, steam rising out of the bath as he guessed what the shampoo and body wash was, slathering it into his thick hair and kneading it into his sore skin. Akira recovered quickly from injuries due to years of experience, yet it was still a problem at how easily his skin bruised.

Akira looked down at what was between his legs and immediately lifted his head, bringing his legs up to his chest and resting his face on his knees, holding them there with his arms.

"Ugh—" Akira gagged, his head swirling as he felt bile crawl up his throat. He quickly stood up from the bath, water dripping all over the floor as he put the toilet lid up and emptied his insides into it. He positioned his head so none of it would go through his nose and eventually choke him of air.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come in?" Sakamoto-san asked outside of the door. Akira hacked his guts up into the toilet before spitting out the soiled chicken soup. Akira quickly got some toilet paper off the roll, wiping his mouth and nose, and dumped it into the bowl, flushing it with a shaking hand. "No, I'm fine…"

Akira felt so weak. He wasn't weak, he refused to believe that. Akira was stronger than most people, what a joke he was right now. _Barfing?_ He slammed his fist onto the toilet seat and hissed in anger. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. Being coddled, being fed soup, people treating him as if he's an injured animal… He can take care of himself, he's always taken care of himself.

He sat back down into the bathtub. His legs weren't wobbly anymore, but a severe soreness covered his entire body. Nothing he hadn't been through, though. The warmth of the water washed it away, ebbing away all of the pain bit by bit.

"I'll put some clothes over here and some pain relievers. There's also a toothbrush and a towel with it." Sakamoto-san opened the door up slightly and put a neatly folded stack of clothes as well as a small bottle on the sink's counter. Akira looked over at it briefly and whispered to her, "Thank you…"

"No problem, sugar," she replied, Akira watching the door click shut as the woman stayed outside the door in case something happened.

Akira scrubbed his skin off with the soap to the point it was red and irritating. Get the smell off, wash away the pain. Akira remembered taking a shower every single time his father raised his hand at him and scrubbed himself until he bled. Akira stopped scrubbing when he realized that Ryuji and Sakamoto-san would care.

When he drained the tub and stepped out, drying himself off with a towel and peering down at the clothes, he sighed. Big, they looked really big on him. He could tell they were Ryuji's old clothes because they didn't look like they'd fit him now, and also because of the wacky patterns. He slipped on the shirt but when it came to the underwear he just had to suck it up and wear them. It was a neon green shirt with lightning bolts on it with oversized sweatpants that would fall off his hips if they weren't wide enough.

He brushed his teeth tiredly, just realizing that Ryuji was now next to him with his toothbrush in his mouth. He was wearing a bright orange tank top with cheesy writing in English saying 'DON'T TALK TO ME' in big and bold font above a round face with an arrow through its head, X'd out eyes, and its tongue lolling out. He had sweatpants on that sagged and showed tidbits of his red and black underwear. Akira glanced over at him and turned back to what he was doing— Lazily brushing his teeth and trying to hide the dust of pink on his ears.

"Those clothes don't fit your style," Ryuji's voice came out muffled and garbled, globs of toothpaste falling out of his mouth. His words were almost unrecognizable. "I have an old Shujin jacket you can wear tomorrow. You'll be sleepin' in my room."

Akira spit out the toothpaste in his mouth and rinsed it, wiping his lips with his towel and looking up to him. "S-sorry for throwing up in your toilet… I'll clean it…?"

"Aw hell no, I'll do that. …Or my ma. That's also an option," Ryuji said, spitting out his toothpaste and gurgling water before shooting it out into the sink.

Ryuji stared at his face. Akira's eyes were downcast, his lips pouring a bit. He looked different without the glasses on his face. He looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His eyes trained over the bruises on his face.

"…Let's head over to my room. You're gettin' the bed, by the way."

"W-what? No, I couldn't do that… It's your house," Akira argued. Ryuji rolled his eyes and went to open the door out of the bathroom.

"Nope. You're gettin' the damn bed. Nothin' you say is gonna change my mind."

"But—"

"Nope!" Ryuji shouted while leaving the bathroom, heading over to one of the sliding doors and opening it up. Ryuji's room was… Messy. A dartboard was hanged up on the wall with holes in it from where he missed, lines of shounen manga all over the ground, but the one thing Akira noticed was the well-kept trophies of Ryuji's track career. A futon was already spread out on the ground for Ryuji.

Akira's bag was sitting on the small table in the middle of the room. When he looked through it, he saw his phone and glasses tucked neatly inside of it. After checking it, Akira plopped himself onto Ryuji's bed, the spring creaking when the weight of his body pressed down.

They sat in silence for minutes on end, Ryuji looking through his manga and Akira just leaving himself to his thoughts, debating and asking himself if he should even speak. It was getting late, ten PM, the lights in the house turning off one by one, but he started to speak.

"Can we… Can we call Ann? S-she deserves to hear what I'm going to say," Akira spoke unsurely. Ryuji immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Uh, yeah. Lemme call her." Ryuji quickly dialed the girl on his phone, the bright screen shining over his entire face. When it picked up at the first ring, we heard Ann's energetic voice. It was almost like she was waiting for a call.

"Hey, Ryuji. What's going on?"  Ann asked from the phone. Ryuji set it down on the table and leaned down onto his futon.

"'Kira wanted to talk to us."

"Oh… I'm all ears. I'll listen to everything you have to say, Akira."  Akira took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start.

"I-I had a bad feeling when I heard a rumor about Shiho. I heard someone saying that she's Kamoshida's new 'favorite girl.' After what happened to Ann in the Palace and what Kamoshida said to me, i-it felt off," Akira explained. Ryuji stilled for a second and bluntly questioned him.

"…What'd he say to you in the castle?" Ryuji asked him. Akira stayed silent for a second and finally admitted to it.

"Some… Sexual things. Really gross sexual things. W-when I caught Shiho heading to the PE faculty office, I stopped her and volunteered to go instead. I just thought that Kamoshida would beat me up. I thought he wasn't that gross enough to do something like that, but he did—" Akira groaned, covering himself with Ryuji's blanket. "And I regret it."

"…K-Kamoshida said I had to meet him after school tomorrow and that if I told anyone, he'd… You know what he'd do." He didn't want to think about tomorrow, he didn't want to think about the aftermath of his decisions, he didn't want to think about anything. Life is cruel.

"…I'll always be here for you, Akira. Even though we haven't known each other for long, I want to be here for you. I won't let Kamoshida touch you, he's going to have to go through me first,"  Ann spoke to him with a soft voice. Akira smiled to himself, curling into his blanket.

"I'm not lettin' that bastard near you. As soon as I see his face, he's gonna get my fist in his 'effin face," Ryuji hissed. Akira felt reassured.

"…Did you know that you guys spamming the chat saved me…?" Akira chuckled to them, looking over at Ryuji's concerned face. "You ruined the mood."

"Thank god that did something though…" Ryuji sighed in relief. "At least we were able to help out somehow."

"…I was confused when Shiho suddenly came up to me in the afternoon and wanted to hang out. She usually has practice. She told me that you said Shiho should hang out with me more,"  Ann started to say.  "She didn't say anything about you taking her place. She probably didn't want me to worry, but I don't want either of you to get hurt…" 

"If Shiho went, the same thing would've happened to her. If we both didn't go, he would've gone for you. There's no winning it…" Akira sighed out. "So I took it. Most of it's blurry and I can't remember it clearly. All I know is that it happened."

"Tomorrow I'll be here with you. Hell, I can put my phone on my charger and put it on speaker. It'll be like a pseudo sleepover with me included!"  Ann smiled. Akira gave a small smile at the suggestion and replied to her. "I think I'd like that."

"Too bad we can't do cool shit like play videogames with each other and die from eatin' too much food," Ryuji grumbled to them, disappointed that life has to be this way. He reached over the table and plugged his phone up to a nearby charger before sliding into his futon. "I wish we could just be regular teenagers."

"That's a lot to ask for… Being regular is way too out of line. Especially with that creepy castle and asshole Kamoshida bugging us."  Ann sighed. Ryuji's eyes closed, his arms behind his head as he pulled his blanket up against him. He opened his mouth after a moment of silence. "We're takin' the deal, yeah? No objections? I honestly don't care about the consequences anymore. I don't want him here anymore, he's gone too far."

Ann sighed, the ruffling of blankets in the call before she muttered out.  "I agree with you, I one-hundred percent agree with you but, what do you want to do, Akira?" 

Akira didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he wanted anymore, he just wanted to sleep forever and never wake up. Akira wanted to say it was just a nightmare and everything would be better in the morning.

"Of course we're taking Morgana-san's deal. We'll take down Kamoshida once and for all," Akira reassured them that he was in the same mindset. Akira finally decided to lay down in Ryuji's bed, his blankets reminding him of the smell of freshly grilled steak. It was weird that Ann had a specific smell also, they both contrasted each other yet it seemed like Ann and Ryuji got along well.

"I realized this when I first met you, but you seem to garner a lot of trouble. You're kind and caring and you help people a lot. But… You end up hurt,"  Ann stated through the phone.  "Is it just that people take advantage of you? Your height? Your demeanor…?" 

"People often look at me as weak and… and I think as much as I don't want to admit it, I am. I… I can't change it. Nothing can change my height, nothing can change the way I look, and nothing _should_ change the way I act."

"It's just how the world works. I won't get a break, and I've already realized that. But… hanging out with you guys makes it a lot better," Akira told them truthfully.

"I'll help you with that from now on." Akira moved his head up to meet Ryuji in the eyes. "I'll 'talk' to anybody who tries to make fun of you! Same with Ann."

"That seems a bit too far…" Akira chuckled nervously, but he still smiled at him. "But… I'd appreciate it. I'll do the same for you also, but I might escalate the situation instead."

"That's fine. As long as I know it's for me, I'll take the beating."

"…You guys are weird to me." Akira sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I've only known you guys for a few days, yet you're so nice to me. I don't understand it…"

"You don't need to know somebody to be nice to them, you know. There doesn't need to be a reason."

"Just let us help you! You've been helping us, so it's no wonder that we'd help you. You've been kind to us, so it's our turn now," _Kind?_ What had he done that's been kind? All he's done is cause more trouble for them… Especially now. Akira looked away from Ryuji's side of the room, staring straight at the wall as he called out to them.

"…I guess so. Goodnight, Ryuji. Goodnight, Ann." Akira sighed nonchalantly, disregarding what Ann had told him, and closed his eyes. Ryuji yawned, closing his eyes as he heard Ann do the same, the three of them getting ready for bed. But none of them felt relaxed, their brains wouldn't shut off even if they said their goodnights and pretended to sleep.

"Night, you guys," Ryuji called back to them, a yawn escaping his mouth.

"Goodnight,"  Ann replied.

The next morning, Akira woke up with him falling out of Ryuji's bed. His arm took down the blanket with him and cushioned his fall, but it still made his arm ache. He groaned out as Ryuji bolted upwards from his sleep surprisingly fast when he heard the sound, whipping his head over to see that Akira was safe only to see him entangled with his limbs like an octopus, but he was safe nonetheless.

"Jeez, are you guys finally up?! School's starting in a bit, so you have to rush if you plan on making it before the bell!"  Ann yelled into her phone, Akira finally re-adjusting himself and rubbing the goop out of his eyes. His hair was a complete mess, tangled with his curls shooting out at every opportunity. His thick and long strands of hair fell over his eyes, the sun pouring in as he slowly started to stand up.

"I'm hanging up! I'll meet you at school! See you!"  Akira could hear her put her bag over her shoulder and the opening of a door before a beep ended the phone call.

Ryuji grabbed his phone and checked the time before racing towards his drawers, digging to get his school uniform out. Ryuji tossed an old Shujin blazer over to Akira, who gripped it into his hands and looked at all of the crinkles on it.

"Shhittt!! We gotta hurry! Go change in the bathroom! My mom did your laundry so it's in the, uHHHH, it's in the cabinet. Below the sink!" Ryuji fumbled, frantically pulling his bright orange tank off of his body, revealing the budding of abs.

Akira quickly picked his bag up and scurried out of the room while screaming, "R-right!" while sliding the door open and slamming it shut. The smell of food wafted into his nose when he stepped out and Akira contained all of the bubbling acids in his stomach. He couldn't tell if he was hungry or if he felt disgusted at the thought of eating…

He took his time taking off his clothes, making sure to not take off any of the bandages with them. Akira looked at the horrid bruising against his body, black and purple mashes together in a sickly color on his pale skin.

He opened the cabinet as Ryuji instructed him too, picking his clothes out and pulling it over his body. He adjusted the suspenders holding up his pants and pulled on his white socks. He dug through his bag, finding his relatively unharmed glasses, and slid it onto his face. Akira paused when he saw Ann's jacket folded neatly. He had a long debate with the thoughts in his head if he should wear it or not. Would Ann get mad at wearing it to school? He felt like wearing it though, it made him feel comfortable for some reason.

Akira fought with his hair in the mirror, parting it away, brushing his teeth, using the toilet, and finally stepped outside.

Akira walked over into the area where the living room and kitchen were, seeing that Sakamoto-san was setting down two bowls of rice with miso soup and what seemed to be rice porridge over at the low table. Akira had more time to look at the interior. It was a sleek kitchen, which contrasted the old and worn down walls of the rest of the house. The cushions surrounding the low table were mismatched and didn't match each other, but it added personality to the Sakamoto residence.

"Come take a seat. I made rice porridge for you since your stomach might not be up for it. If you're feeling up to it, I'll give you some rice and miso." She smiled. Akira nodded, shakily taking a seat down and picking up a spoon.

"Thank you for the meal," he whispered, his voice still a bit grainy and taxing on the ears as he put his spoon into the gooey rice porridge and put it into his mouth. He expected it to just be regular bland rice porridge, but the taste of chicken filled his mouth. It was almost the same as Korean rice porridge.

Ryuji clumsily came out into the area and sat down next to him. Akira knew that he was a big eater, but watching Ryuji shove his face with food so quickly and with vigor in the morning was a sight. Akira never ate too much for a lot of reasons. The obvious one, his parents. And the second one was that he's an athlete. Maintaining a diet and staying fit is incredibly important, but Akira didn't practice what he preached because he never had the chance to have the diet his coworkers had.

Akira stared at Ryuji before turning his gaze back to his bowl, putting another spoonful into his mouth. Akira didn't ask for miso and rice because he knew he'd just throw it up later in the day if he wasn't careful.

"You should be heading out in a few minutes. You'll miss the train if you don't!" Sakamoto-san rushed them while picking up Ryuji's bowl. Akira pulled his phone out of his bag and cringed when he looked at the clock. It was stupidly close. Akira got out of his seat and started to clear his bowl up until Sakamoto-san shooed him away, picking it up instead. "Ah-ah! I'll do that. You two just hurry up and head to school."

"Ah, yes ma'am." Akira bowed, heading over to the door with Ryuji following behind. They both slipped their shoes on, Ryuji reaching for the handle as the two of them started heading out.

"Thank you, for taking care of me…" Akira bowed yet again, showing respect for the woman that housed and cooked for him despite the fact he wasn't even invited.

"Don't mention it! Come back anytime you want. I love the company. I should be getting ready for work myself. Have a good day!" Sakamoto-san waved, a small smile over her lips. Akira wanted to smile back and thank her for everything she's done, especially when she looked so tired. She could see the eyebags she has and he felt horrible for making Sakamoto-san take care of him… Ryuji waved to his mom with a smile.

"See ya later, Ma!" He called out as he gently shut the door, looking over to Akira as they started to walk. Ryuji didn't live in the best neighborhood. There were trees and bushes scattered about, but it felt gloomy. Well, even if it felt gloomy, Ryuji's energy made up for it. It was like a ball of light in the middle of a dark cave… It was weird, but he appreciated it. But even though he thought this of Ryuji, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach swirling and stabbing him.

"H-hey, uh, we should probably hurry to the train. I feel like it's going to leave soon…" Akira sweat. Ryuji screeched when he remembered they were actually ways away from school and that they shouldn't be taking their time, the two of them running as fast as they could towards the station. Akira's legs ached as he jogged alongside Ryuji, but the blonde-haired boy kept him from falling by putting a hand on his back to keep him steady.

His intuition was correct, both of them making it in as soon as the doors were about the close, squeezing into the tightly packed train. Ryuji sort of hung over Akira as he tugged on the sleeves of Ann's hoodie and held his bag close to his chest. Ryuji was like a huge shield guarding him against people looking at him.

That weird feeling in his stomach didn't fade as the train continued riding on. Akira thought that the feeling stemmed from the thought of missing the train, but now that he's on it it still didn't fade. Confused, he was confused and it didn't feel right but he couldn't tell what it was. Whenever he had a bad feeling, he could usually tell where it stemmed from but this time he couldn't place his finger on it.

When they arrived at school, Ann was tapping her feet nervously right outside of the station. When she saw the two, she ran up to Akira and hugged him close, Akira awkwardly hugging her back, not knowing where to put his hands.

"Akira, are you okay? Do you need anything?" Ann asked him. Akira shook his head.

"No, no… I… I'm fine. Let's just get to class, okay?" Akira told her, starting to walk away before Ann stopped him and gave him a serious expression with a little bit of anger mixed into it, but it wasn't malicious or anything.

"Hey, maybe you shouldn't move around too much today. Your legs are still shaky, I can see them. I'm sure the school will let you off because of your obvious injuries…" Ryuji groaned and shoved his hands roughly into his pockets when she mentioned that Akira should take it slow for the day.

"You should've said that _before_ Akira decided to start runnin' to the station so we wouldn't miss the train…" Ryuji sighed, thinking back on how nervous Akira looked at him as they started bolting down the concrete pathing and the escalators to the station. Ann looked at Akira angrily and turned her head over to Ryuji.

"And you didn't stop him?"

"We would've missed the train if we didn't! I supported him the entire time we were runnin' there," Ryuji stated, trying to save himself. "But yeah, from here on out you need to take it easy. Even if we go into that shitty teacher's castle, I'll do most of the fightin'."

"I bruise easily and I get hurt often, I'll admit that. But… I heal really fast. Or just _looks_ bad. Don't worry too much, I'm pretty okay right now!" Akira told them. And it was true. Physically he was doing fine. His legs were still a bit shaky, but that's to be expected. They'll be healed by tomorrow.

"Even if you _say_ you're fine it doesn't mean that you are," Ann explained to him, eyeing the bandages wrapped around the visible parts of his skin that were uncovered by his uniform. "You say you feel fine, but you still look bad. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"How did I know you were going to say that…? Oh! I forgot, here's your jacket. Sorry, I was wearing it, it's nice and warm." Akira began to unzip it and shrug it off before Ann reached out and pulled it back over his shoulders and zipped it up. "W-wha—?"

"Keep it on." Ryuji looked at Ann confusedly as she fixed the folds and fitted it better onto his body.

"H-hah? How come?" He asked her. Ann smiled sweetly at him, thinning out the wrinkles on the hoodie with her hands, Akira fixing the bottom of it to fit him better.

"Hmm, it's like… When dogs mark their territory?" Ann tried to explain. Ryuji looked increasingly more confused at the sentiment and she sighed. "Oh well, you'll get it later."

 _"Dogs marking their territory…?"_ Akira thought as Ann pushed him lightly, the three of them walking out of the subway station, trudging his body up the escalator stairs, and stepping into the main area, people already whispering once people spotted that Akira was wearing Ann's hoodie.

"He's wearing Takamaki's hoodie! I knew it, they're fucking each other, aren't they?

"She's sooo cheating on Kamoshida-sensei…"

"I bet she sucked his dick real good. Buttered him up, ay? Of course she would, she's a complete slut after all…"

"He seems like a total pushover. Hey, do you think if I approached him he'd do it with me? I've always sort of liked bad boys…"

"Hell no; Takamaki's got him pinned. Look, she's watching everybody like a hawk. Sakamoto is also staying with them… Maybe she has him around her finger also?"

"Look, her hoodie goes up to the middle of Kurusu's thigh! He's sort of cute… What am I thinking?! Ugh, nevermind…"

Akira realized what she meant now. Marking the territory. Even though the remarks are crude, it'll work. Nobody will try and come after him for unsavory reasons anymore because he's Ann's 'bitch.'

"Akira, don't pay attention to them, okay?" Ann shook him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her pink lips and sighed, his eyes trailing over to his shoes. He suddenly felt like his laces were tied on so tightly that it was cutting off blood circulation.

"It doesn't bother me much," he lied. "I know what you mean now, though…" Ryuji looked down at Akira and thought about it longer. He was pissed at the comments, but what they assumed made sense.

"Nobody is gonna bother you now because Ann's claimed you, eh?" Ryuji said. Ann smiled like she was the smartest person in the world. Nobody would be directly harassing Akira anymore because they'd have to deal with her. "Well, technically I've laid my claim also! He's wearin' my Shujin jacket."

"That's yours? No wonder you have the first-year button on it. But… how is it so clean…?"

"Hey!" Ryuji barked at her comment. Akira smiled, holding both of the articles of clothing closer to him. He had a little piece of them with him for now. Of course, he'd have to eventually give them back but this would be good for now.

Ryuji begrudgingly parted ways with Akira to attend their classes, Ann hanging over Akira the entire time and always looking back at him during the classes.

Kawakami-sensei came up to him and lectured him about his injuries and not having the proper school uniform, but Akira promised that the injuries came from his own mistakes and that he'd replace the button (or buy a new uniform).

That sinking feeling… That sinking feeling in his chest didn't dissipate even when he had sat down for class, his fingers jittering and messing up handwriting as he desperately tried to pay attention to class despite knowing all of the given material.

"So, I assume all of you know about the separation of powers? There are three branches in our government," Ushimaru-sensei spoke to them. Akira kept his eyes wide open and lips pressed flat against each other, trying to drown out all of the noise in his brain so he could focus but he couldn't. This has _never_ happened before. Why is he so anxious right now? It's not like he _wanted_ something bad to happen, it's just that it wouldn't go away. "The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is judiciary."

"This division of power provides checks and balances, which means no one branch becomes unstoppable." Akira suddenly heard nails on the plastic of his desk during the lecture, peering down with wide eyes to see Morgana-san's head poked out of the cranny as the cat whispered to him.

"No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me," Morgana-san told him. Akira looked around the class for a brief second to see if anybody had caught wind of a cat staying inside of his desk before whispering back to him angrily, more out of surprise and fear of being caught.

"W-why are you in there? A-and don't talk! Someone might hear you…" Akira whispered back, suddenly jolting up with his back straight when Ushimaru-sensei spoke out loud to the entire class.

"Hmmm…? Did I just hear a cat just now?" The teacher asked. Everyone started looking around the class in confusion while Ann just looked back at Akira hesitantly, Akira realizing that she had been listening to what Morgana-san had said.

"M-m-meow!" Morgana-san cried out, trying to dissuade the students from paying attention to him. Akira scoffed before leaning over his desk again, taking note of the puff of black fur and a long tail poking out.

"Hmm… Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?" He asked himself before his voice turned loud as he spoke to the class. "Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!"

Akira's phone vibrated inside of his pocket, pulling it out and taking a peek at it to see that Ryuji had texted the group chat.

**《** **yes officer, this man right here—》**

 **Ryuji:** eff this i cant think bout class rn dude

 **Akira:** pleasw think about it fir the sake of your education…

 **Ryuji:** u expect me 2 think with all of the shit goin on rn?? high standards for me bro…

 **Ryuji:** that damned furball… theres no other way we HAVE to take the deal

 **Ann:** luckily for you, i think mona is inside of aki's desk???

 **Akira:** haha yeag…

 **Akira:** **yeah

 **Akira:** my hands are shaky I can't type properly

 **Ryuji:** oh shit wait does that mean morgana can see my texts

 **Ann:** ummm…..???

 **Akira:** im just going to pay attention to vlass noe…

"If only that meathead knew that I could see your phone sooner…" Morgana-san sighed to him, slightly jaded and pissed. Who knew that cats could be petty…? Akira swiftly shoved his hand back into his pocket and turned his head up, only for a student to stand straight up from his desk and look out of the window, his chair screeching backward as he propped himself up.

"Hey… What's that…?!" The male student said. Everyone's eyes were on him. Ushimaru quickly scolded him, "Enough! This is a classroom!"

The girl sitting behind the male student that jumped out quickly interjected, raising a bit out of her seat with wide eyes. "Wait… She's going to jump!"

 _Fear._ The sinking feeling in his stomach dissipated and felt empty. Goosebumps crawled up his skin as everyone started to panic, Mishima standing up from his seat and staring out of the window. "Suzui…?"

"Shiho…?" Ann panicked. Akira quickly got out of his seat as soon as Ann did, the girl looking out of the window nervously before she bolted out of the classroom and went into the halls. Ushimaru tried to keep the students in their seats but to no avail. Akira followed Ann out, snatching his bag into his hands and completely forgetting about everything. His face was sickly pale and his hands were clammy once he stepped outside, standing right next to Ann.

Ann headed right for the window, Akira observing a bit from the back as he saw her. Shiho was standing on the ledge of the school's roof and had somehow bypassed the fences up top, her ponytail messy and her eyes unfocused. Limp, her body was mostly limp and flowing. As soon as Shiho started to lean forwards, she was already falling from the three-story building. Akira saw her body plummet closer and closer to the ground, her entire body slamming against the ground as she went completely boneless.

Screams erupted in the halls, Ann covering her mouth with wide eyes as she slowly backed away from the window, not believing what she had seen.

Akira believed in it though. This was reality, this was the real world, this was life. It hurt him so, but he didn't want to think about it anymore. _Shiho…_

"No… Why?" Ann choked out in disbelief before being overcome with anger and sadness, bolting past Akira. "Shiho…!"

Ryuji quickly approached Akira, who was appalled and stunned. _Why?_ Why would she do this?!

"Akira, Akira! Listen to me, okay? You _have_ to get it together! For me, for Ann, for yourself, for _Shiho—_ please, okay?" Ryuji pleaded with him. Akira frantically nodded, not processing any of the words yet agreeing with it anyways as Ryuji latched one of his hands onto his wrists and proceeded to take him to where Ann and Shiho would be.

The entrance out to the courtyard was packed with people, Ryuji growling in frustration as he started to run towards the practice building. They moved on instinct, running to somewhere, running _from_ somewhere.

"Hey, let me through!" Ryuji cried out, pushing past people with Akira close by. A male student barked back at suddenly being pushed aside. "What the hell?!"

"Let me through, man! _Please!"_ His voice cracked as he finally got through the door. They ran through the mostly empty hallway, pushing past the large crowd surrounding the ambulance. He could see a mess of brown hair on the stretcher with the paramedics checking her condition.

"Class is still in session!" The teachers called out, trying to get everyone to leave but telling people to not look at a horrible accident and be witness to it wouldn't work, especially on teenagers. Everybody had their phones out, taking pictures and filming Shiho like she was a circus animal. Entertainment, that's what she was.

"Shiho…!" Ann cried out, Ryuji and Akira both catching her amongst the crowd. They left her be, too many people crowded around for them to get to her.

"What the hell's wrong with these people?!" Ryuji hissed out, looking at all of the phones out. He wanted to tell Ryuji that this was reality. Akira would probably do the same in any other situation. He'd look on with a perverse smile while filming it because everyone else is. This was the real world.

"We need someone to go with her… Are there any teachers around?" The paramedic called out. Akira's eyes immediately stared back at some of the teachers on watch as they made excuses and acted reluctantly.

"I-I'm not in charge of her class though…" One of the teachers stuttered wimpily before another one added to his statement. Both of them had zero guts to stand up for a student that almost took her own life. "W-we should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa…"

Ann seemed to burn with passion, immediately volunteering to go with her. "I'll go!" She proclaimed loudly, stepping into the front of the crowd. The paramedic nodded at her, ushering her to come to the stretcher Shiho was groaning on.

"Please hurry!" Ann ran over to Shiho's limp and weak body and dropped to her knees, her hands on one of Shiho's bruised and injured ones. She was _cold._

"Shiho… Why?" Ann asked her. Shiho slowly opened her eyes, staring at Ann with a pained expression.

"Ann…? I'm sorry. I… I can't take this… anymore…" She muttered out to her. Ann squeezed onto her best friend's hand harder as she leaned down to hear her closer. "Shiho…?"

The broken girl whispered into her ear, Ann's eyes widening at the things that Shiho had told her.

"…Huh? …Kamoshida?!" Ann exclaimed. Shiho groaned before closing her eyes, her body going limp as she passed out. "No… Shiho?!"

The ambulance took off, Shiho and Ann in the back of it as a siren blared and took off from the school. Ryuji put a hand on Akira's shoulder to comfort him, knowing it must be hard to have horrible things happen in succession. Akira was… He was fine. There were worse things to worry about.

"Kamoshida… The volleyball team…" Ryuji muttered out loud as the panicking teacher once again instructed them to head to class.

Akira looked back slightly to see Mishima's pale face. "Ah… Ah—!" He cried out before running away. Ryuji caught sight of it also, his hand slipping off of Akira's shoulder as he clenched his fist and unclenched several times. It was almost like he was readying himself.

"That guy… Mishima was acting weird, wasn't he?" Ryuji asked. Akira took in a deep breath and nodded, looking over at the direction Mishima had fled over to.

"…He knows something. Let's go," Akira said quietly to him. Akira gestured his head to go and follow him. Ryuji grit his teeth as they started to push back through the crowd.

"We're gonna _make_ him talk this time," he growled as they both ran with each other. They followed Mishima's trail with the help of Akira's keen eyes, Ryuji latching onto Mishima's wrists into a closed space. The blue-haired boy winced as he shook off Ryuji's hand. Blue lockers and umbrellas were scattered around as he bit his lip.

"Agh—! That hurts!" Mishima drew his wrist closer to his body and stared at Ryuji in the face, sweat pouring off the top of his forehead.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh?!" Ryuji asked him fiercely. Mishima huddled in on himself and responded to it weakly.

"I didn't run…!"

Ryuji slammed his fist on the side of the blue lockers next to them and yelled at him. _"She jumped and tried to kill herself!_ Don't say that bullshit!" Mishima sniffled, covering his face with bandaged arms.

"…L-leave me alone…" Mishima stuttered. Akira gathered all of his courage and yelled back at him.

"Just tell us! I need to know! Just tell us, please!" Akira pleaded with him. Mishima looked at him with guilty eyes before Ryuji looked at Mishima and toned down the anger.

"'Kira's right. We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!" Ryuji said to him. Akira could see the internal struggle of saying it or not inside of Mishima. The boy latched his fingers into his hair and finally let it out.

"Suzui… She was called out by Kamoshida-sensei!" Mishima admitted.

"…Huh? But I filled in for yesterday—" Akira blurted out to him. Mishima looked at him with wide eyes. "Is that why you have injuries…?" Mishima asked him. Akira nodded hesitantly, not wanting to talk about himself.

"S-Suzui _did_ get called in yesterday… But she came to school early today. S-she was looking for you, Akira. A-and then she was called by Kamoshida-sensei, a bit before the bell rang. He nominates anyone on the team when he's in a bad mood… It must've been _really_ bad this time. He looked angered and upset…"

Akira started to shake now. He remembered what Kamoshida had told him before he left. He had other people to play with… It isn't just him that he could do this too. Why did Akira think he'd only do this to one person? At this point, Ryuji had caught onto what Kamoshida could've possibly done. From how Akira looked, to what he did yesterday, to Akira talking about how he would've done it to somebody else if he hadn't stepped in…

 _"That son of a bitch!"_ Ryuji screamed, running away from them at the realization of what had happened with Shiho while she was locked away with the perverted man.

"R-Ryuji!" Akira called out to him, forcing his legs to run after him. Mishima stayed behind for a second before finally running along after them, "I bet… Sakamoto's going to find Kamoshida-sensei…"

Akira nodded, knowing exactly where Kamoshida would be. But then he suddenly stopped when they were close to the door. His heart started pounding, the blood in his face started draining and he felt like he was going to fall onto the ground. He didn't know if he wanted to see him… But he sucked up his pain for Shiho. It was a promise, he would stand up for her and try to become strong.

They both walked in, already seeing Ryuji taking an offensive stance and yelling at the teacher.

Akira didn't know what to do. This is where it happened— The papers on the ground that he had scattered were cleaned up and placed perfectly to the side, the room smelling just like the rest of the school. But he knew what this room was like. The smell of sweat, the taste of iron on his tongue, the screams of agony, the hatred he felt in his body… He froze in place, unable to look away from Kamoshida's face.

"You bastard! The _hell_ did you do to that girl?!" Ryuji yelled at him. Kamoshida shooed him off, reflecting the blame, and diverted the attention away from himself, "What are you talking about?"

 _"Don't—!"_ Ryuji yelled, kicking the chair next to him off to the side out of anger. "Play dumb with me!"

"That is enough!" Kamoshida yelled back at them, Akira was breathing rapidly at the sight of Kamoshida staring at him and his loud voice.

"What you did… Wasn't coaching…!" Mishima simmered to him, baking in the slow release of rage. Kamoshida furled his eyebrows and with a threatening tone questioned, "What did you say?"

"You… You ordered me to call Suzui here… I can only imagine what you did to her…!" Mishima's voice started to amp up and get louder and louder as he dug his fingernails into his hair. Kamoshida stood up from his seat, staring straight at the three of them. Ryuji turned around, a snarl on his face as the man spoke to them.

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of… Basically, you're simply making these claims up just because you can't be a regular on the team, right?" The boy shot back at the man.

"That's _not_ what this is about…!" Mishima shook his head. Ryuji screamed at Kamoshida with his knowledge and living proof right here.

 _"Proof my ass!_ Akira told me what happened, he's living proof of what you've done you _bastard!"_ Ryuji yelled at him. Kamoshida's eyes immediately went to Akira before Ryuji swiftly stepped in front of him and blocked the boy from view.

"I told you not to tell anybody… You know what'll happen to you, right? Well, it doesn't matter anymore." Kamoshida growled. "Even if it's exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking… What can you do? We just received a call from a hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim… How would someone like that make a statement?"

All of them froze at what he said, Kamoshida dramatically putting a hand to his head and faking sympathy. "There's no chance of her getting better, I hear… Ohhh, the poor girl."

"E-even if she can't make a statement, I can—" Akira started before Kamoshida growled at him.

"With your shitty reputation? Nobody would believe you, whether it be online or not. Your criminal record doesn't give you a say in anything. After all, _you're known to be a slut."_

Akira was burning in rage. He wanted to wrap his hands around his throat and _choke_ him.

"You goddamn…!" Ryuji growled, clenching his fists tight. Akira could see him digging his nails into his palms and the small moons from it forming on him, small bits of blood pooling out of it slowly.

"This, again?" Kamoshida groaned, walking closer to Ryuji and spurring on his anger with every flap of his mouth. Ryuji was a nuisance to him. No, _all_ of them are nuisances to him. "Does this mean we need to have yet another case of 'self-defense'?"

"You shut your mouth, you _son of a bitch!"_ Ryuji screamed as his spit flew, pulling his fist back to slam it into Kamoshida's face, only for Akira to latch onto Ryuji's back, making Ryuji stop from the shock of Akira holding onto him.

"Y-you need to calm down! Don't end up like me… Ryuji, it isn't worth it!" Akira told him. Ryuji growled and shoved Akira off of him lightly, standing back up against Kamoshida. "But still!"

"Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise," Kamoshida told him. He then smiled at them, crossing his arms and giddily like he had nothing to fear, because honestly? He _didn't._ "There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?" He asked them before laughing in a fake realization. "…Ohhh, you _caaaan't._ Hahaha, but of _course_ you can't!"

Kamoshida's mood flickered faster than a light switch, walking back to his desk and roughly pulling out his chair before sitting in it with a loud creak. "Everyone present right now will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."

"Wha—?!" Ryuji gasped.

"You can't make a decision like that…!" Mishima argued with him. Kamoshida laughed at his insolence, "Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're _just_ as responsible."

"Huh…?" Mishima breathed out. Kamoshida continued, "To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

Akira's eyes flipped to Mishima's rapidly, feeling distrust and betrayal.

"Mishima…?" Ryuji asked him with wide eyes. Akira couldn't say anything. His record… His chance at a regular school life where nobody judges him based on his fame and only saw him for himself… Mishima collapsed to the ground in defeat, his eyes clamped shut and face perpendicular to the ground. "He told me to do it. I had no choice…"

Kamoshida laughed at his despair, waving his hand like it was the funniest thing he had ever seen before scrolling through the computer in front of him. "Now, are we finished here? You're all _expelled!_ You're _done for;_ your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight!"

"I can't believe this asshole's just gettin' away with this…!" Ryuji complained. Akira latched onto his wrist. "Don't give up just yet!"

Ryuji's eyes widened, "…Oh right. We have that!" Kamoshida quirked an eyebrow at the two. "Huh? Have you lost your minds? You worthless kids aren't making any sense, but sure, go ahead and try. After all, you'll have plenty of time to kill until expulsion…"

Kamoshida laughed as they started to leave the room, only for Kamoshida to speak up to them one last time. To Akira, specifically.

"That's Takamaki's jacket, isn't it? You aren't denying that you're a slut, so maybe you _did_ end up fucking her. I left you sad and lonely, didn't I? Needed a cute girl to fix you up?" Kamoshida asked him. Akira paused and glared up at him. "I'll cut you a deal. If you decide to meet me at my house today after school, I won't expel you. It'll come with extra benefits. You won't go through any trouble at school. What do you say?" The man offered him.

Akira tugged at Ann's sleeves and sucked up his emotions. He wouldn't cry, do _not_ cry. He felt Ryuji put a hand on his shoulder and Akira stuttered, but his words got through anyway. "…I-I… I decline your offer, sir."

He walked away. Akira failed to pay attention to anything after that, the school day ending almost immediately as Ryuji and Akira went off and landed at their usual meeting spot filled with vending machines and blue benches.

Akira fell to the floor and curled in on himself, unable to withstand the weight of his body. He felt heavy, like he couldn't keep his head up.

Akira couldn't take the weight off, falling to the ground in pure anger and agony with his knees scuffing against the concrete, clamping his eyes shut as he balled in on himself.

"I hate this… I hate this more than you can imagine," Akira hissed out, trying to calm down the horrendous pounding feeling going on in his head. He could do this, this was nothing.

"We can't waste any time. We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!" Ryuji told Morgana-san. He slowly sat up and slipped a few yen into the blue vending machines next to him, grabbing a cold bottle of water and passing it over to Akira. He gladly accepted it, holding it to his neck. He felt hot, too hot…

"I can assume you've made up your minds, then— About how he might suffer a mental shutdown?" Morgana-san remarked lightly to them.

"Someone almost _died_ because of him! I don't give a rat's ass about what happens to him anymore! Especially after what he did to Akira…"

"I feel as if I shouldn't ask, but you're going along with this also, aren't you?" Morgana-san asked Akira. He simply nodded, still trying to calm down from his interaction. "…Then it's settled."

"I hafta ask, but… is gettin' rid of a Palace hard? You've tried it before, right?" Ryuji asked him. Morgana-san quirked his head to the side and replied blankly.

"…When did I ever say that?"

"…Eh?" Ryuji suddenly announced in surprise before nearly yelling at him. _"WHAT?!_ Were you just pretendin' to know?!" Ryuji asked the not-cat. Morgana-san was about to respond before they heard a voice behind them.

"Is it true that you're getting expelled? Everybody's been talking about it…" Ann asked them with a dreary tone. Akira looked up at the two of them and caught sight of Akira's disheveled appearance. She quickly walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Akira…"

"I-I can't sit back after what's happened. Shiho… The scans showed everything. I saw it… She was raped…" Ann breathed into Akira's shoulder. "You guys went up to Kamoshida, didn't you? Geez, Akira… If you know you aren't up to facing him, you don't have to…"

Akira shook his head. "Everything… It's my fault. If I had just _listened_ to what Kamoshida told me, Shiho wouldn't have to be in this situation," Akira stuttered, guilt creeping up his spine. "I'm so sorry, Ann… I-I promised to help her, but I couldn't do _anything—"_

"Don't say that, Akira. Please, _please_ don't say that. It's not your fault and I'm _sure_ Shiho knows that too. It's Kamoshida's fault, not yours," Ann begged him. She looked him straight in the eyes. _"Nothing_ is your fault. Say it okay? I want you to say it because it _isn't."_

"…It isn't my fault… Yeah, it isn't my fault," Akira responded to her. Nothing was his fault, it's Kamoshida's.

"…Is Akira even in the condition to be running around in the Palace? He shouldn't be moving around too much…" Ryuji gave Morgana-san a firm look. "I'll be his backup! Both Ann and Akira's, I'll make sure they're safe."

"…If you say so. Come on, we should go then," Morgana-san said. Akira summoned up the small bits of strength he had inside of him, following the three of them into a familiar alleyway.

"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you're ready," Morgana-san explained to them.

"Phantom thieves…? What's that supposed to mean?" Ann asked him.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure— That is what we become!" Morgana-san explained excitedly, his tail waving back and forth rapidly from the adrenaline.

"I see…" Akira replied simply. Ryuji smiled at the title given to them, "Aww, that sounds kinda cool!" He had that stupid dorkish grin on his face. It calmed Akira down more than you would think.

"It's just the school, Kamoshida's name, and 'castle', right? It's easy enough!" Ann smiled, taking her phone out and logging onto the app. "But… It's kinda weird. Where did this thing come from? Did somebody make it?"

"I-I mean if it exists somebody had to have made it," Akira explained. Ryuji scoffed, looking over Ann's shoulder with ease, "That's kinda creepy, but eh, seems useful enough. We'll show that 'effin Kamoshida!"

"Let's go!" Morgana-san related to them. Akira was dying on the inside yet he was still coming along with them anyway. He was their support system and they were his.

Something was screaming in the back of his head when the world started to fade into a jumble of black and red, a seamless transition of his clothes into the familiar leather tailcoat he stylishly donned.

**_…Maybe he wished that Kamoshida would die._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long to write this!! It made me sad and also because i dont know how to portray rape aftermaths in a realistic and convise way. I really love shiho as a character. People should give her more love, rape and people with suicidal thoughts need love guys :(((
> 
> -it's up to you if you think akira dissociated while he was being raped  
> -akira is a very confused person on whether he's allowed to have opinions on things or not since his parents dictated every aspect oh his life, including the things he says to people  
> -akira is trilingual in this book. sHHH there's a reason. _everything has a reASON DONT WORRY ABOUT IT!!!_  
>  -im working on original book stuff for writing practice and its very smutty and filled with kinks dont @ me


	7. Chapter 5: A Model's Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to a Palace with three angsty teenagers with a cat that insists that they're human is definitely food for the mind, but sometimes that food isn't really good.

Akira felt woozy when they entered the Palace, Akira fixing his gaze on the shadowed and dark castle. Just a minute ago, this was a school with screaming teenagers. Now, it was a castle with screaming teenagers still in it.

Although Akira should probably be unable to move that well, like always, this world gave him a lot of enhancements. He felt more powerful and calm, the wounds on his body barely affecting him and the way he moved.

"All right then! We're in." Ryuji rolled his shoulders and smiled at the appearance of the castle. He was ready to destroy this place and to be honest, Akira was also.

"We better brace ourselves. The Shadows in here have already noticed us by now," Morgana-san told them.

"Already? We just got here, though…" Ann groaned. Akira shrugged, staring up and down the walls.

"We're counting on you Joker! Lead us on," Morgana-san told Akira. Akira sputtered and looked down at Morgana-san in awe.

"''Joker'…? W-why are you calling me that?" Akira asked him. Morgana-san grinned, crossed his arms, and stuck one of his fingers out.

"It's a codename! What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real names? We have no idea what kind of effect it would have on the Palace and its ruler! It's just a precaution."

"But, uh, tell me why we're goin' with 'Joker' though?" Ryuji asked Morgana-san, Ann's eyes turned over to Akira. Even if he was in his Metaverse outfit, his bandages and bruises peaked out of his mask and long sleeves.

"It's because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength," Morgana-san explained to them. Akira raised his eyebrows and laughed nervously, not believing what Morgana-san had said.

"Haha, n-no way… With the way I am now, I'm _far_ from being strong. I don't think I should even be fighting right now…" Akira told them, embarrassed and not feeling like that title lived up to what he was now. Morgana-san shook his head at the suggestion.

"I still think that you should lead us through the Palace. When it comes to battling, we can take the lead. I feel like you have too much potential to just leave you in the back, even like this…" Morgana-san's ears pointed down knowing that the suggestion for Akira to battle was insensitive, but it was their best bet. Akira huffed and started to think about it, his hands on his hips before sighing out with his agreement.

"A-all right, then. If it has to be like that, I'll take it. Don't expect too much from me, though…"

Morgana-san smiled triumphantly and turned over to Ryuji, who raised his eyebrows as soon as Morgana-san laid his eyes on him.

"All right, you're up next! How about…" Morgana-san looked at Ryuji's figure up and down with a paw on his chin. "'Thug'?"

"Are you pickin' a fight with me?! Gahh! Fine, I'll choose it myself!" Ryuji growled out. Akira smiled a little bit at their silly quarrel, feeling like it had been an entire century since they had done it. Ann just sighed and crossed her arms at their whining before Ryuji continued.

"Hmm… When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Actually, I kinda like it. What if we named me after this?" Ryuji suggested. Morgana-san groaned out.

"All right, then. How about 'Skull'?"

Ryuji had the biggest grin and started to shake his fist, obviously pumped up at the suggestion.

"Awwhh! That sounds _awesome,_ haha! I'm Skull!" Ryuji pointed at himself as if naming himself a word in English was this amazing feat. But hey, Akira couldn't complain. He looked so happy.

"It's your turn, Ann. What about you?" Akira asked her. Ann a finger to her lip and tapped her foot, her pigtails swaying when she put her hand on her hip and bent her knee.

"Hmmm… I'm honestly not too sure. What do you think?"

"'Kitty'?" Ryuji suggested. Ann convulsed at the words and shook her body parts, goosebumps visible on her arms.

"Yeah, no… Anything but that. Next one?" Ann looked over at Morgana-san.

"'Jaguar'…?" Morgana-san suggested. Ann shook her head at it again and sighed out.

"Why are they all felines…? Well, I don't mind it. Jaguar sounds cool, but it doesn't have the impact I'm looking for. What do you think, Joker?"

"Oh, um, well…" Akira thought, looking at her up and down. He looked up into her eyes and saw that same fire in her eyes, but it was stronger this time.

"…'Panther.' Or, uh, unless you don't like it…?"

"I like it! It packs the right amount of punch, you know? What about you, Morgana?" Ann looked over to her side.

"I mean, anything is fine with me. As long as it works as a good codename."

Ryuji half-laughed and half-sighed, "It's gotta be 'Mona,' right?"

"Definitely a Mona…" Ann smiled. Morgana-san scratched his head, his cheeks pink with a euphoric expression.

"I think he likes the name…" Akira knew for a fact that 'like' was an understatement. Morgana-san cleared his throat and announced to them, "All right! My code name is now Mona! We need to be absolutely _thorough_ about using our respective code names. Joker, Skull, Panther, and Mona. We're using these from now on!"

They all nodded before they all looked over at the huge castle looming over in front of them.

"L-let's make a dash for the Treasure. If we all coordinate, we can pull this off easily," Akira pulled his gun out of thin air. Ryuji struggled to get his weapon to appear in his hand, but it worked with a few tries. On the other hand, Ann couldn't access it at all.

"It seems like people that aren't Persona users can't access the pocket dimension," Morgana-san told her. Ann tried to access it despite the fact numerous times over and over again with each attempt failing.

"I'll just watch, then…" She says, disheartened. Ryuji patted her back and smiled.

"Aw, c'mon! Don't look so down, it doesn't suit your pretty face," Ryuji teased her while running into the Palace with the rest of the crew. Ann sighed dejectedly, pushing her feelings of worry down, and followed them from behind. She didn't want to feel like a burden and she knew that the others didn't think of her as one, but it didn't stop her brain from going crazy.

Akira gazed up at the vent peering out from the wall. He admits that it's large, sighing when he looked at how high up it is. He was going to climb, wasn't he?

"I can't believe they haven't found this place yet… Oh well, it's in our favor! Skull, boost me up!" Ann demanded and stood near the wall. Ryuji groaned but he complied, Ann's legs held by his arms as he hoisted her up, Ann barely being able to pull herself up into the shaft.

"It's clear! Hurry up!" The sounding of metal creaked underneath Ann's sneakers. When she dropped down to the other side, they could hear the echo through the shaft.

"Ya need a lift, Joker?" Ryuji asked him. Akira shook his head and sighed, cracking his knuckles and forcing himself to relax.

"No… No, I'm fine. Hup!" Akira got a running start and hooked his hand onto the ledge before elegantly flinging himself up. Akira breathed heavily after he stuck his landing. He didn't look back as he jumped down next to Ann.

"Shit, man. Aight, guess it's my turn," Ryuji put as much strength in his legs as possible and jumped up, latched onto the edge, and crawled through, his foot losing its grip. He ended up falling straight onto his butt and groaned. Morgana-san landed on top of his head and 'oof' resounded out of his mouth.

"The hell?!" Ryuji yelled at Morgana-san before the creature shushed him.

"We're inside now! We have to be quiet!" Morgana-san lectured him. Akira rolled his eyes, looking at the three of them and gesturing his hand that they were going to start moving up.

Akira took one step out of the room and he heard the cheering of guards to his right. They all flicked their heads over. "Praise be to King Kamoshida. Death to the intruders!" They yelled with their hearts. Akira cringed, the four of them slowly creeping up near the entrance of the hallway.

"What the hell…" Ryuji muttered to them, their eyes setting on Kamoshida looking over his battalion of guards. Kamoshida looked gross as always, but it had a different feeling after what had happened. Akira's skin felt like it was crawling with spiders, all of his hair standing on end.

"Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining," Kamoshida broadcasted to them. "However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads."

"Gross…" Akira whispered out to them as the guards once again showered him with praise. They were practically opening their legs for him.

"Mona, can't we just beat him up? He's right there. Maybe if we're sneaky we can do something" Ann looked over to Morgana-san for approval, but he cringed at the thought.

"Hell, no! There are _way_ too many soldiers. If we want to get killed, sure, let's go and do it; I don't think you want a repeat of last time though."

Ann pouted, but she knew that going in would be suicide.

"We're not here to beat him up, we're here to get the Treasure," Akira told them, inching away from the scene and heading backward. "The thing Mona's talking about has to be _somewhere._ Come on, help me look for it."

As soon as he opened a door he quickly hid behind the wall, a guard popping out of nowhere.

"Dammit, there's a guard over here too…" Ryuji groaned, peeking into the room. "Well, I guess it's time to beat its ass."

"Now hold on for a second. Hmmm… This might be a good opportunity to teach you something… You ready?"

Akira nodded, testing the grip of his shoes on the ground before bolting towards the guard and smacking it down, the guard bursting into a girl with wings. Ann looked on from the back, listening in to the information given to the best of her ability.

"I taught you how to Hold Up an enemy and how to do an All-Out Attack, but this is more of a practical use. Because Shadows are beings born from people's hearts, they can naturally talk," Morgana-san told them, smiling as his eyes locked onto the creature in front of them. "In other words, you can communicate with them. I think you already know where I'm going with this, don't you Joker?"

Akira huffed and aimed his gun straight at the creature, knowing that it's weak to his bullets. "I get it. Just a bit of persuading and they'll give us what we want, right?"

"Correct. If you talk to them, you have a better chance of scoring something great instead of just offing them."

Akira let out a single bullet, hitting the Shadow square in the face and they came tumbling down. The three of them quickly aimed their guns right at them, Ryuji with a big grin on his face. Ann was silent, perhaps she was _too_ silent.

"Agh! S-seriously?! YOU guys are the intruders King Kamoshida was talking about?!" She groaned. "Ugh, it can't get any worse than this… What're you going to do with me?!"

"Give us something and maybe I'll consider letting you live," Akira trilled. The contents of his sentence weren't as sing-songy as his tone…

"W-wait, are you for real? I just have to give you stuff and you'll let me live?!" The Shadow asked ecstatically

"Well, something along those lines… Now whether it be money or item, just cough it up!" Morgana-san threatened. The girl moaned out in agony, sweat dripping from her forehead. "B-but, this happened so suddenly… I actually don't have anything on me… I-I usually do though, you know?!" She stuttered out.

"W-wait, what?! Oh… This isn't how I was planning this to go." Morgana-san was shocked by the factor that the Shadow was completely broke. He pulled the elastic strap of his slingshot and said, "Uhhh, if that's the case… I guess it's time for you to go to hell."

"W-wait!" The girl pleaded. Morgana-san gave her a cocky smile. "Sorry, but we're in a hurry."

The girl tried to plead with them yet again, clasping her hands together as she practically cried. "C-can't we work something out? Don't kill me, please! Won't you let me go?"

Akira sighed, looking between Ryuji, Morgana-san, and Ann. "Haaa… Okay, fine. I'll let you go."

The girl dried her eyes and smiled up at Akira. "Are you the type who can't say no? I totally know how you feel. I'm the same way." The Shadow told him. Suddenly, the girl seemed as if they were glowing. They looked cleaner, almost as if they were sparkling. "Whoa… I feel different! Something's happening!"

"W-what the—?! What's going on?!" Morgana-san questioned with wide eyes as the girl got up to her feet and flew close to Akira, who couldn't bring himself to point his gun back up to the girl. She just looked so happy…

"Oh, yeah! I remember now! I don't actually belong just to King Kamoshida; I'm an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity's souls… My real name is actually 'Pixie'! I'm Pixie! From now on, I'll live inside your heart!" Her form suddenly shifted into Akira's mask. Akira instinctively lifted his hand to grab it and put it into the one on his face and the mask disappeared into a blue flame. He suddenly felt another presence sitting in the back of his mind, a cheery and happy Pixie.

Akira looked confused and ran his fingers across his mask, looking down at his gloved hand.

"W-what the hell was that?! What happened?!" Ryuji questioned, as the entire team walked over to Akira and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I-I have no idea! Don't ask me!"

Ann sputtered, "You literally _sucked_ a Shadow into your mask, something _definitely_ happened, Joker!"

All of them turned over to an equally confused Morgana-san for answers, only for the not-cat to reply out of breath and completely mind-boggled.

"I-I have no idea! Don't look to me for answers!" Morgana-san told them, Akira immediately shifted his head towards the doorway when he heard heavy footsteps. A guard appeared from the doorway and Akira pulled out his gun in preparation. Ann yelped and was quickly moved to the back as the three Persona users ditched the conversation and stared down at the guard.

"Intruders?! Halt!"

Ryuji cursed under his breath as the guards split into two Shadows. Two-horned black horses staring down at them with glowing red eyes.

Akira felt uncomfortable in his brain, a presence punching him inside of his consciousness to let him out. Akira didn't know what was happening, but before he could even think he was already screaming out the name. "Pixie!"

His Persona appeared from behind and launched out a strong bolt of lightning. It successfully knocked the targeted Shadow down onto his knees, but the other one didn't look too happy. It rushed towards Akira, who quickly leaped out of the way. His head was buzzing with adrenaline with this newfound power.

"I-is that the Shadow from earlier?! W-whoa!" Morgana-san yelped and looked over at Akira before he dived to the left. The Shadow that tried to attack Akira quickly switched his sights for Morgana-san. "Don't tell me… Did you take in the Shadow's appearance and powers as a Persona?!" Morgana-san breathed out.

"Less talkin' and more fightin', dammit! Captain Kidd!" Ryuji screamed out, the delinquent pirate appearing from the blue flames and landing down a powerful strike of lightning. The two of them were finally down, Akira quickly gathering his bearings as he pulled out his gun, the three of them pointing it straight at the Shadows.

Maybe… Maybe Akira could do it _again._ Pixie laughed in the back of his mind, the damn Shadow turned Persona was more talkative than Arsène. "…C'mon, sonny. You'll help me out, won't you?" One of the Shadows spoke to him. Its mouth didn't speak like a human, it was sort of like Arsène. They heard the voice, but it didn't come from his mouth.

"You help me, I help you! Lend me your power." Akira smiled, feeling Pixie's girly and gossipy personality infect him. Akira revolted at the tone of his voice but continued anyway.

"So that's yer move, eh? …Then I guess I'll talk first. I'll decide if I'm gonna help you after." The Shadow told him. "You did a hell of a job cornerin' me like this. I gotta ask, kid, how do you train?" Akira thought a bit about his response, reading his every movement and his given personality.

"I don't really train," Akira admitted. The Shadow snorted, "That's what you tell me but I say you spend more time at the gym than you do at school."

Akira realized that he's sort of true. He ends up missing a lot of classes due to competitions and practice, but he doesn't need to attend them anyway.

"Y'know, in the human world, I hear that when people meet each other, it's called 'fate.' What kinda 'fate' do you think there is in this meetin' between me and you?" It asked.

"Fate brought us together. It brings a lot of people together." The Shadow laughed, a sparkle in its eye. Akira could feel an immediate connection, just like what he felt with Pixie.

"Huh, I guess fate's got some kinda role in all sorts of mysteries… What a coincidence, my sentiments exactly— Hey! I can't believe it… I remember now…" The two-horned Shadow pushed itself up onto their hooves. They were glowing, a glossy sheen over their entire body. "I'm no Shadow from this place. I used to be livin' to that there sea of the human soul! From now on, call me Bicorn. No need for honorifics, sonny."

And just like Pixie, it manifested into Akira's mask, the boy gladly taking the Shadow into his possession. Three Personas. He had three of them now. He felt the presence of them there. It was odd how he could feel the Personas in the back of his head, but it never interrupted any train of thought or action. They were sort of just… There.

Morgana-san, Ryuji, and Ann looked at him with wide eyes, watching as Akira had accepted yet another Persona into him. Morgana-san's mouth gaped open in awe. "Holy… Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas?"

"Mona, what the _hell_ did he just do?!" Ryuji asked.

"He sealed the enemy's appearance and powers into his mask and made it his new Persona… Is such a feat even possible? Even I've never seen anyone pull that off! But… But I think I might know the reason." It was as if he was a piece of juicy steak and all of them were eyeing him like carnivores.

"Wait, this is a good thing, right? Nothing weird is going to happen to Joker?" Ann questioned.

"Of course it's a good thing, Panther! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! But it explains a lot for Joker over here. We talked about how your Persona isn't really your Persona. A Persona is a manifestation of your true self and will of rebellion. Your Persona is, essentially, really different."

"How so? I mean, I don't think my Persona is _that_ weird."

Morgana-san shook his head. "No, it _is_ weird. It's almost the complete opposite of yourself. This is just a guess, but you have endless possibilities because you haven't fully developed into what you'd like to be. This is why you're able to have multiple Personas and it also explains why Arsène is _so_ unlike you. You're essentially an empty shell that can collect multiple Personas until you feel full."

"I-I don't think that's the nicest way to put it…" Ann commented, looking between a slightly offended Akira and astonished Morgana-san.

"I don't mean for it to sound rude! This is actually amazing! I wonder what'll happen when you manifest your real Persona! You're already strong now with this ability so I can only imagine what you'll be like in the future!" Morgana-san babbled excitedly, "This is going to give us a huge advantage in battle. Don't feel bad about it, this is amazing!"

"I-I guess so… I don't feel too glad knowing that this isn't really my true self," Akira admitted to them, feeling even more uncomfortable in the outfit he's wearing. It was so unlike him, yet it had qualities that were like him at the same time.

"If the opportunity ever arises for you to do that again, do it. Everyone else should help out with it also, okay?" Morgana-san told the other. Ryuji gave a huge smile and walked up to Akira, patting him on the back. "Hell yeah! We'll hold every last one of 'em up! I'll be here as your support!"

Akira gave him a tired smile. He took in a deep breath and let it all out. Acceptance, he accepted the fact that he wasn't a person with a fully developed Persona, and that's okay. Akira hoped, and he really, _really_ hoped that he'd find his true self while in Tokyo.

"Hehe… I like you even more now! I really do have something special after all!" Morgana-san had a glint in his eyes. Akira huffed, leaving the room with all of them and shoving past the next door. Ann seemed to slow down, almost lost in thought. Nobody realized it, though.

The next room was full of guards, and they meticulously took down each and every one of them with elegance. Akira managed to sweet-talk his way into getting another Persona called a Jack-o-Lantern. There was a chest, the raven-haired boy cracking it open. It was a shiny silver dagger. Akira traded it for his old one, passing it down to Ann.

"Panther, do you want to take this? It's better than nothing… U-um, Panther? Panther…?" Akira asked. Ann snapped out of her dazed and fumbled with her hands, grabbing the handle of the dagger.

"Y-yeah, sorry! I'll take it." She inspected the dagger's metal, but Akira knew she wasn't paying attention to it and quirked his eyebrow at her, sensing something off about her. He ignored her 'ditzy' demeanor.

They ran into a safe room, the door hazy and quite frankly the worse thing to look at. Akira could feel his eyes deteriorating and quickly went inside.

"Aren't there even more Shadows here than before?" Ryuji questioned. "Just gettin' this far's been a real pain in my ass!"

Morgana-san sighed. "It's all because you guys provoked Kamoshida, you know. Still… he seems to be awfully on guard…"

"Anyways, how are we supposed to steal that Treasure thing?"

Morgana-san quickly crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at Ryuji. "Don't be so hasty. First, we'll need to secure an infiltration route."

"A what?"

"A path to the Treasure's location," Morgana-san explained to Ryuji. Morgana-san sighed. "But honestly, I think we'll need a little more manpower to accomplish this. At the very least, one more person would be nice…"

"…I really am dead weight, aren't I?" Ann muttered out to them. She was leaned up against the wall, a sullen and sad expression on her face. "I wasn't able to help Joker or Shiho, and I can't even help out here…"

"Panther… There's nothing you could've done. I made my decision and— And Shiho made hers."

"You can say that all you want but it doesn't stop me from feeling guilty," Ann replied. "I hate Kamoshida. That damn bastard… If only I could do something."

"You _can_ do something. Even though you aren't a Persona user and you're susceptible to a lot of things, you can still fight. Though… I don't think Joker would like that." Morgana-san looked over to Akira. He shook his head.

"I-I'm sorry, but it's a no… I gave you that knife just in case… I don't want to see you get hurt," Akira told her. "We should rest up and head back out when we can. That'll probably—"

"The new prince is rather cute, don't you think?" Akira suddenly heard from the outside. His mouth clamped shut and he slowly turned his head toward the door, where the sound of clanking metal and distorted voices came out.

"Do you think I'll get a turn? All of the captains have had a taste, so it's finally being passed to the lower levels! I can't wait."

"Are you an idiot? Our gracious King Kamoshida found out what those captains did and nearly killed them. Being the gracious and glorious king he is, he spared their lives. But… I do admit it. I want to have a turn also."

"You get me? I feel like our king that's so giving and kind would let us have a turn. After all, they let us play with the princesses if we're on a good streak!"

Akira heard them walking away, every single strand of his hair stood on end. Ryuji swallowed his saliva and looked at Ann and Akira respectively. They all turned their gaze down to Morgana-san, who ground his teeth and slowly pushed open the door.

"I'm going to investigate this. I'll be right back," Morgana-san slipped away through the crack and slowly shut the door behind him. Akira looked disgusted at the conversation. Terrified, he knew what they were insinuating but he wouldn't think about it.

"…That's just… GOD, how effin' _disgutin'_ can this man get! Bastard…" Ryuji seethed out.

"There… There only used to be one princess before, right? And that was me, but…"

"N-now there's a prince and another princess. You… You can guess who they are, right?"

Akira and Ann looked at each other in the eyes and sighed out. Ann dug her nails into her palms and grit her teeth, her lipstick smudging onto her skin.

When the door opened up again, Morgana-san poked his head inside with a disgusted looking face. It was like he had seen a gross.

"We should… We should probably head out once you're ready. You… You guys aren't going to like what you see. Especially Joker," Morgana-san said. Akira bit his lip and went to sit down at a chair.

"Yeah, just, um… Just give me some time to psych myself up. I-I need to… To think. How bad is it…?"

"It's… Pretty gross, Joker."

Akira groaned out and put both of his hands on his face, his fingers combing through his messy hair as he controlled his breathing.

"Take as much time as you need, man. This is gonna get ugly… For him, I mean,"

Akira gave a pathetic laugh at Ryuji's attempt at a joke. Was it even an attempt? He couldn't even tell when it came to Ryuji.

"No, no… I-I'm fine, Skull. Panther, are you ready?" Akira asked. Ann nodded, gripping the knife that Akira gave her in her hand. A tight hold as she and the rest of them pushed open the door.

They quickly ran through the area, looking down a rather interesting hall filled with metal armor. Akira took a breath and sprinted down the hall, ignoring the growing pain in his lower back. The effects of the Metaverse seemed to be wearing off slightly.

Kamoshida was in the room, a cocky grin on his face. He was surrounded by guards, blocking the thieves' view of what he was smiling at. When Akira changed the angle that he was looking at it from, he saw it.

Girls in volleyball shorts without any real form, moaning with their legs spread open and posing sexily on the floor. When Akira turned his eyes up from them, he was met with something he expected. But even though he expected it, it hit him like a truck.

He saw himself on Kamoshida's right side. Dead fish-like eyes with red lipstick and white dog ears flopping out of his head attached to a headband. He also had a fluffy white dog tail attached to him. Shadow Akira was wearing next to nothing, a tight pair of shorts that hugged his legs and a tight and a leather crop top with a silver zipper. On his left was Ann, hugging Kamoshida close to her and giggling. Akira was tracing his finger along Kamoshida's chest, moaning out when the man groped his ass.

Akira covered his mouth in disgust. This was what he saw him as? A _dog?_ It was believable, which is what hurt the most. Ann growled and charged in.

"Panther, no!" Akira called out, but Ann was already in the middle of the room. The rest of them quickly backed up Ann, who pointed her knife at Kamoshida.

"You bastard! You sick, _sick_ bastard! Cut the bullshit!"

Kamoshida laughed and brought the cognitive version of Ann closer. "She just talked back. What do you think of that, Sweetheart?"

The cognitive Ann looked over at the thieves and practically moaned out the words, "Talking is, like, totally unforgivable…" She said. Kamoshida smiled. "You're right. A reasonable punishment would be… Execution, right? What do you think, Baby?" Kamoshida smiled down at the small boy.

"I think it's a _wonderful_ idea, King Kamoshida! You're so smart!" Akira's cognitive self complimented him. Kamoshida ruffled his hair and Akira smiled, completely drunk off of the affection. "What a good boy. You deserve a reward, don't you? You'll get it right after I kill this _miserable_ thief. Guards!"

Kamoshida commanded. Akira ran after to grab Ann and pull her back, but a guard was already charging at him. The roles switched as Ryuji pulled Akira back instead. Ann was surrounded by them, but they couldn't do anything. There were too many guards surrounding her, but Ann held her ground. She held Akira's knife tight in her hands.

"You know, you're pathetic aren't you?" Kamoshida insulted Ann. "You came here because you're pissed at me, who would've guessed that? But, ahh… I forgot that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know." Ann felt like she had been shot, her eyes widening, and her grip loosening.

"Everything is your fault, isn't it? If you just accepted my invitation, none of this would've happened. Your little friend wouldn't have jumped, and that black-haired bitch would've done without the memory," Kamoshida kept talking. Even Akira wanted to plug his ears at the words. He hated every single thing that spilled out of his vile mouth.

"Maybe I'll start with your clothes…" Kamoshida cackled. The cognitive Ann giggled. "Hehehe! You're _such_ a perv~!"

Ann felt the guards grasp onto her arms and hoist her up by the armpits, her legs flinging around as she screamed curses and profanities at the king. She faltered, still feeling the weight of Akira's blade in her hand.

"Dammit! Ann!" Ryuji cried out, taking a step forward only for Kamoshida to stare them down, his guards lifting their weapons up. "One more step and I'll kill her on the spot."

"Dammit…" Ryuji growled out, begrudgingly stepping back. Akira was analyzing everything and he did it twice. He wasn't strong enough to take down a guard in one hit. _They_ weren't strong enough for this. So… What could they do?

"Is this… Is this my punishment for what happened? Is… Is everything really my fault…?" Ann whispered out. Kamoshida picked up on every single word, bathing in her agony and despair.

"That's more like it! You should've looked like this from the start." Kamoshida said to her. Ann bit her lip and closed her eyes shut, "I'm so sorry— Shiho— Shiho, I'm so sorry. Akira, I'm so _sorry…"_

"Are you just going to stand there and take everything?!" Akira yelled at her. "Shiho didn't try to take her life just so you could cry about it and I didn't throw myself at Kamoshida because I felt like it! We did it for _you!_ So don't you dare give in!"

"H-huh?" Ann said, looking out Akira's fierce and determined look. It fueled her own heart, the look on their faces inspiring her. "No… No, I'm not going to give up. You're right. Letting this piece of _shit_ toy with me… what in the _hell_ was I thinking?"

"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and—"

"Shut up!" Ann hissed out, cutting Kamoshida off. "I've had enough of this! You've pissed me off, _you son of a bitch!"_

**_"My… It's been far too long."_ **

A voice resounded in all of their heads, tears welling in Ann's eyes. She gripped onto Akira's knife with all of her strength, struggling in the arms of the guards and choking out cries of pain. Her eyes were golden yellow.

**_"Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never the option… Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within… I am thou, thou art I… We can finally form a contract."_ **

Ann screamed louder and louder before slumping, drool running down her chin, and tears staining her skin. "I hear you, Carmen…" She whispered out before a mask appeared on her face in a flash of blue flame. A red mask with cat ears on it along with a black nose. "You're right… No more holding back!"

Kamoshida gasped, knowing what the mask spelled out after seeing it time and time again. He backed away, the princess and prince cowering away with him.

**_"There you go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself."_ ** Ann managed to twist her body in an odd way, enough to make it so that Akira's knife pierced through the armor of one of the guards holding her. She dropped from their grip, immediately taking her hands up to her mask. The guards reached out for her, but it was too late. **_" Understood? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."_ **

Wind knocked the guards away, flying away at rapid speeds and slamming against the wall so hard that their forms dissolved and disappeared entirely. There stood Ann, dressed in a red latex suit with impractical zippers placed everywhere, her cleavage busting out with a clip-on tail. Pink gloves surrounded her finger. Her hand clenched onto what had been Akira's knife was now a whip.

She quickly ran over to the cognitive versions of both Akira and Ann, lashing out her whip so fast and hard that a single lash made them fade into dust. Kamoshida cowered away from her, a fearful expression on his face as one of the guard captains stood in front of the man.

Ann looked at Kamoshida fiercely, her gloves rubbing against the leather of her whip. "You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with… you scumbag."

"Bitch," Kamoshida hissed.

Ann stood in the front of the group. They looked at her in awe, but they shook it off and cracked their knuckles, a surge of adrenaline pumping through their blood.

"You stole everything from Shiho… No, you stole everything from the people that counted on you! You destroyed them… Now it's _your_ turn!" Ann yelled at him, pointing a finger at him. "I will rob you of _everything!_ For Shiho!"

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" The guard captain called out, him and his cronies dissolving into terrifying Shadows. Ann didn't seem deterred by this. "No, I've had enough of _you._ No one's gonna stop me now! Let's go, Carmen!"

"How dare you deny King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass?! Pay for this insolence with your life!" The Shadow said. Huge, they were fucking huge. Ann seethed out to him, "That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets! Hell, he'll even use boys if he's not satisfied! Don't make me laugh with that 'love' bullshit!"

Ann put her hand up to her mask, a furious and determined expression on her face. "C'mon, Carmen! Let's give 'em hell!"

Ann immediately knocked him down with her Persona, using an All-Out Attack. Akira unloaded all of his gun's magazines onto them, and so did Ryuji and Morgana-san.

"Crap—! Jump to the left!" Akira shouted out at the, seeing wind taking the form of sharp blades coming straight towards all of them. They all successfully dodged the attack, escaping with a few scuffs. This was nothing to them, they've been through worse.

"Agi!" Ann yelled out, a burst of flame shot out extremely quick, hitting the Shadow head-on.

"All-Out Attack!" Akira called out, rushing towards the Shadow as fast as he could with his dagger in his hand, the rest of them jumping onto the Shadow and slicing into him as fast as possible. It was almost as if they were faster than the speed of sound. Ann grinned, landing down on the ground and giving a successful peace sign, not looking back at the dying Shadow spewing blood.

"T-to think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida…" It said choked out. Ann scoffed and shifted her hair off of her shoulders.

"Pfft! Outside of school, that guy's nothing but a pathetic loser!" Ann retorted back. That was the last thing that Shadow heard before turning into black dust, blowing away into the wind.

Kamoshida ran as fast as his hairy ass legs could take him, Ann dropping to the floor from exhaustion and reaching her hand out the direction Kamoshida ran away.

"Wait…! Don't you dare run!" She yelled. She groaned and let her hand slump down, tired and heavy.

"Why'd you run in like that?! You could've gotten killed!" Ryuji scolded Ann. Ann glared up at him.

"I-I had to do something! I'm sick and tired of feeling like I can't do anything! When I saw Kamoshida, I just… I just lost it," Ann argued back. She sighed and rubbed between her eyes. "But yeah, you're right… I should've been more careful."

"More importantly, are you all right Panther?" Morgana-san asked her. She nodded, trying to get back onto her feet unsuccessfully. She then used Morgana-san's head as a perch to bring herself up. "More or less, yeah… Wait—"

"Why am I dressed like this?! When did I—" Ann said, feeling around her latex suit before covering her breasts with her arms. "Ugh, what's with this?! Why couldn't I have gotten a better outfit?!"

"I think it looks great on you, Panther!" Akira complimented her with an awkward smile. Ann looked over at Akira with the most dead expression, appalled and embarrassed.

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?!" Ann asked him. She felt like she was naked even though she was practically covered from head to toe, excluding her cleavage.

"We have no time to talk! A search party will be coming for us soon," Morgana-san told them. "We don't have a choice, we just have to retreat for now!"

"Ughh, all right… Gimme your arm, Panther. Joker, take her other arm," Skull said, pulling Panther up. Akira sighed, rushing to Ann's side and tugging her up.

"Skull, where the hell are you touching?!"

"Shit! S-sorry!"

When they got back, they were inside the alleyway. Akira's legs felt like jelly and he immediately flopped onto the floor. Ryuji quickly twisted his head to Akira with wide eyes.

"Shit, Akira, are you okay?!"

Akira nodded. "Y-yeah… I'm fine. The Metaverse made it so I could actually move around but in the real world I'm still recovering…" He slowly zipped off Ann's jacket and passed it over to her. "Here, your jacket."

"Huh? Oh, I almost forgot that I gave it to you… Thanks." She took it from Akira and slipped the jacket onto her shoulders. Ryuji shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed out blissfully.

"This was somethin' I didn't expect… But hey, welcome to the club."

"I knew it's exhausting to awaken to your Persona, but I didn't think I'd be _this_ tired…" Ann slapped the sides of her cheeks to stay awake. "Everyone is okay, right?"

"We all seem to be doing fine. At any rate, we should probably move locations. We look suspicious if we stand in an alleyway. Let's relocate to a different spot," Morgana-san said. They all nodded, Akira using the wall as support to bring himself onto his feet. He shook out his legs and started to walk, uncoordinated but still working.

He tried to shoo away the thoughts of his cognitive self, but it was difficult. It looked like him and it even acted like him in some way. Well, not him, like Ye-jun. But…

"Which one you want?" Ryuji asked Ann, snapping Akira out of his daze. They were in the subway train platform; the dingy walls were somewhat comforting.

"Whichever's not carbonated."

Ryuji looked down at both of the drinks and looked at her awkwardly. "Uh, they're both actually."

Ann frowned and looked between the two drinks. "Then…" She grabbed the one ob Ryuji's right, a purple plastic bottle before twisting the cap open. Ryuji looked over to Akira and passed the leftover bottle. "Here ya go."

"Thanks…" Akira said, twisting the cap open and taking a sip of it. He scratched at one of the bandages on his face, feeling itchy and uncomfortable.

"Hey, what about me?" Morgana-san leaned onto Akira's shoulder and swished his tail. Ryuji looked at Morgana-san confusedly and crossed his arms. "Huh? But you're a cat."

Ann chuckled and lidded her drink. Morgana-san looked at her and smiled. "Have you calmed down Lady Ann?"

"Yeah… But god, did that feel good… I was just so pissed at him. I'm done with Kamoshida, but what matters the most is that I can help too." She pumped her fist and smiled. "I'm going to make him suffer. And you guys are going to help me!"

"That's the plan, ain't it Akira?"

Akira blew the hair out of his face and responded to Ryuji, "O-of course it is… When did it ever change?"

"I guess it didn't from the start. Oh, also, uh, take a look at this," Ann said, pulling out her phone and showing the screen to them. It was that same app, red and black paint the screen.

"You have it now?!"

"Sure do! It appeared just a little while ago," Ann said to them. "I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done. Not only for Shiho but for everything he's done."

Akira smiled at her, sensing her resolve and passion to get on with this. She didn't seem lost anymore, it was like she had already carved a path for herself, and it made him feel happy for her.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Lovers Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card floated above Ann's head before it poofed into thin air, and time resumed yet again.

"I'll be counting on all of you, then! Remind me when we go into the Palace next time then." Ann smiled at them, waving them goodbye as she left them.

"What a kind girl… Such admirable consideration for others… and the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal…" Morgana-san spewed out an entire monologue to them, "She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot… What a girl! She's captured my heart…"

"Dude." Ryuji cringed at it before swatting the words away from his brain and put a different piece of his mind out for them. "You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quickly from now on…"

"True. Our best option would be to make a secret hideout where we could discuss these things."

"A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that!" Ryuji bubbled to Morgana-san.

"The school roof, right? Nobody goes up there, s-so it seems perfect," Akira said. Morgana-san nodded.

"Yup, that seems like a great place. We'll make that our hideout for the time being," Morgana-san told them. "Relay that to Lady Ann when you have the chance. Also, I'll be staying in this world. I can't contact you from the Palace, so this seems like a good decision."

"That said, I need someone to take care of me. Akira, I'm nominating you! You should feel grateful. I think you could use a lookout in your daily life," Morgana-san told him.

"This is _all_ you. There's no way I can at my place." Ryuji said. As soon as he finished his sentence, the train's speakers blurted out. Ryuji turned over to the next train coming his way. "Well, we now have our hide-out, so let's meet there tomorrow!"

Akira waved awkwardly to the boy who was already boarding the train, stopping his hand movements, and looked over his shoulder to meet Morgana-san's face. "Okay! Let's go look at my new residence for this world."

"You know Morgana-san, I like cats…"

"I'm _not_ a cat!"

He shoved Morgana-san's entire head into the bag when he was at the door to Leblanc, walking into the establishment. He was hit by the bitter and tantalizing smell of coffee.

"Hey, welcome back— What happened to you? Oh, never mind— We'll talk about it later. Head on upstairs."

Akira nodded at Sojiro-san and looked over to a woman in gothic-styled clothing to his left. She noticed his gaze looking up from her cup of coffee.

"…Yes?" She asked. Akira stuttered.

"H-huh? Oh, no, it's nothing—"

"Hey, lay off the customers, kid," Sojiro-san scolded him. Akira pouted at him and sighed for the millionth time today. "Sorry if he was rude, Doctor."

"…I don't mind."

Sojiro-san gestured towards the stairs and Akira nodded, taking his cue and he started to head for the stairs.

"Thanks, I'll see you later," the doctor bowed to Sojiro-san. Sojiro-san said his goodbyes and thanked her for coming, the door ringing.

"Phew… That's it for today." Sojiro-san groaned out, stretching out his arms and closing his eyes shut.

"Who is she?" Akira turned back around as soon as she left. Sojiro-san opened one of his eyes and looked at him, "Oh, that customer just now? She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street. Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations, and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that."

"Huh, sounds interesting…"

"Well, at least that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself. They should just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives…"

"Hey, are we there yet?" Morgana-san asked from inside the bag. Akira completely ignored it and stared straight at Sojiro-san. The man looked at him in suspicion, but he continued speaking to him.

"Well, I've gotta get home and start making dinner… But before that, what the hell did you get yourself into? I let you sleepover at some kid's house for one night and you're _scuffed._ What, don't tell me you got jumped _again?"_

"Well, about that…"

"Jesus Christ kid… You know what— As long as nothing serious happened, it doesn't matter. You know where the first aid kit is. I'm heading out, here's the key." Sojiro-san threw a silver key onto the counter for Akira. He exited the area and walked over to the door leaving the café. Akira walked up the stairs and unzipped his bag, Morgana-san jumping out onto the bed as soon as he saw light.

"What the… What is this place?! This is the place I'm staying at…?"

"…Y-yeah…?"

"That was supposed to be rhetorical! It looks like an abandoned house!" Morgana-san insulted. Akira sighed, sitting down next to him on the bed.

"W-well, it's better than nothing… It could be a lot worse." Akira said to him. Morgana-san moaned and slumped down. "I thought you'd actually have a _room…"_

"Hey, are you—" Akira heard, turning over to see Sojiro-san walking up the stairs. He looked at the cat for a long second before looking at Akira, scratching the back of his head. Akira looks like a deer caught in the headlights, standing still and is completely frozen.

"Ugh— I was wondering why I heard meowing… What did you bring it here for?!" Sojiro-san yelled at him.

"I-I couldn't just leave him! He doesn't have a place to say. I'll take good care of him! Please, Sojiro-san?" Akira begged him. Sojiro-san groaned and tapped his foot, thinking about his decision before stopping his action.

"That's a shame, but— Look, this is a _restaurant._ Animals are a no-go… Though I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of…"

Akira smiled brightly at Sojiro-san and mustered up the best puppy eyes he could make.

"Fine…"

"Yes!" Akira shouted out, diving for Morgana-san and cradling in his arms. Morgana-san yowled, struggling to escape but deciding to go limp to give Akira a bit of happiness.

"Hey, I'm not finished! Keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll kick it out. Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you." Sojiro-san said to him. Morgana-san was still dangling in his arms as Akira replied joyously, "Yes sir!"

"Y-you can let go of me now!"

Akira whined before setting Morgana-san down. He shook his fur rapidly, staring up at him. "Was that the ruler of this place?"

"Um, I-I guess you could say that?" Akira said to him. Morgana-san laid flat on the bed and yawned. "He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump. Then again, I suppose to normal people I just sound like a meowing cat."

When he heard creaky footsteps, Akira noticed Sojiro-san holding a large plate with food on it. He set it down on the bed next to Morgana-san and complained like it was the worst thing in the world, but Akira knew his true feelings.

"Seriously… It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice…" Sojiro-san said and Morgana-san eyed the plate as it came down next to him. "Make sure you wash that dish."

"By the way… Uh, have you decided on a name?"

"Morgana-san. His name is Morgana-san."

Sojiro-san grumbled in response, a dejected voice escaping his lips. "Morgana-san, huh? I was hoping I'd get to name it…"

Sojiro-san grouched down the stairs sadly. He tried to hide it behind a hard exterior, but it was extremely easy to read people. You can't hide your true feelings for long.

"Looks like the chief likes _me_ better than _you,"_ Morgana-san teased in a cheeky voice. Akira shushed him playfully, tugging his jacket off of him and inspecting the pin signifying what year he was in. He should have the broken uniform _somewhere_ in his bag… "To be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells."

"…Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am?" Akira nodded at Morgana-san and the not-cat continued, "To be honest… I don't remember anything about my birth. I think the Metaverse's distortions made me lose both my memories and true form."

"Is that form human…?" Akira questioned him. Morgana-san's ears perked up and he sat up.

"It has to be! I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There's no other possible explanation. There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea on how to do it too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place.

"Come to think of it, I didn't get hungry over on that world…" Morgana-san turned his head over to the plate of food sitting on Akira's bed.

"Eat as much as you want." Morgana-san did. Akira was glad that he kept all of the contents on the plate and that he didn't go rabid and spread the food all over his bed. Morgana-san licked his lips and scratched himself with his back leg.

"Let me make myself clear: you taking care of me won't be for nothing. It'll be give and take. Due to my knowledgeable and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel of infiltration tools."

"…Like lockpicks and those sorts of things?" Akira questioned.

"Whoa, I can't tell you anything unless we settle on a deal. In exchange for you keeping me here, I'll teach you about these tools. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good enough for me!" Akira smiled, crouching down and holding out his hand to Morgana-san. Morgana-san looked confused for a second before putting his paw on Akira's palm, the boy lightly wrapping his finger's around Morgana-san and shaking it to confirm their deal.

"Hehehe… Then it's a deal." Morgana-san smiled at him.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Magician Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card floated above Morgana-san's head. He can slowly see the deck being formed. Chariot, Lovers, Magician… Tarot cards that represented every person he struck a deal with. He'd have to look up each meaning sometime in the future. The picturesque black and white environment faded out as time resumed. Honestly, Akira is just used to it at this point.

"I'll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time. By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing," Morgana-san complimented him. Akira's cheeks heated up and he tried to act as humble as possible. Morgana-san continued talking to him, "The stronger that power gets, the more reliable it'll be as a trump card. All right, I'm gonna stick with you wherever you go from today on."

"Thank god…" Akira picked up the plate and started to head for the stairs. "I always like someone around. Especially after… Yeah."

Morgana-san's head pressed flat against his head. "Hey… If you ever want to talk about it with me, I'm always with you," Morgana-san told him. Akira just gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for the offer."

When he laid in bed that night, he felt Morgana-san's comfortable weight sitting on top of his chest as he texted Ann.

**《Takamaki Ann》**

**|9:48 PM|April 15th|**

**Ann:** hey, thanks for everything today akira

 **Ann:** sorry if i was acting weird, but i finally know what i want to do now

 **Ann:** i'll be super strong!! 🌸⭐🧚♀️💞strong enough to protect you guys!😤💪💅🌸❤

 **Akira:** these are like fairy comments but they're actually nice…

 **Ann:** KFNSKDKDKD AWWWW 💞💝💋💫🌸

 **Akira:** kekeke see you tomorrow, Ann

 **Ann:** see you later!! 💋🥰💘🌸

"Hey, you have that thing to contact each other, right? Since I can't use one, can you type for me…?" Morgana-san asked him tiredly. Akira yawned and pat Morgana-san's head. "Yeah, no problem… Don't worry, Morgana-san. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Akira. Hey, and drop the honorifics! We live together now, so it feels weird." Morgana-san scolded him. Akira closed his eyes and muttered out tiredly, already falling into a deep sleep.

"…Okay, then…"

"Morgana-san."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it takes long for me to post chapters and stuffs :((( im a potato that has a short attention span so writing for long periods of time makes my mind go KFNSKSNKDFKKD
> 
> Thanks for reading :)))


	8. Chapter 6: Errand Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palace preparation is difficult, especially with a creepy teacher looming over your back. But a shady doctor and an equally shady airsoft shop owner makes things interesting.

Akira sewed on his year-two button onto his school jacket. He looked at his old uniform. It was bloodied and crumpled, missing most of its buttons. He dumped it in the trash as soon as he saw the can outside the café. He also redressed his bandages and smothered himself in pain relief cream and pain pills. He was glad that most of the injuries were finally healing thanks to the miracle work of Ryuji's mom.

They rode the train in the morning, thankful that he crammed himself into the tram and took a seat instead of standing up.

"You could probably read a book or something while you pass time like this," Morgana told him. "You must be pretty comfortable right now."

"Extremely… My back is thanking the train." Akira whispered to Morgana while taking out his phone. He was scrolling through social media, sucking in small bits of media. News, it was always good to keep up on the news.

"I don't know why, but I always thought you wouldn't be tech-savvy. Do you go on the internet often?"

"Since I was a kid," Akira told him simply, not expanding on the topic any further. Morgana hummed out a 'huh' and sunk his body back into the bag. When they stepped off, Akira yawned loudly as he started making his way to school, hands shoved inside of his pockets. He needed to buy a new turtleneck from the school store today… He was wearing his school uniform's summer shirt underneath his blazer. Akira stood there for a second, taking in the sights of the school. The day after Shiho jumped. It was weird going back here after all of the emotions he felt yesterday. But, in true fashion, he didn't cry.

"Yo, mornin' Akira." Ryuji walked up next to him. "What're you doin' just standing there?"

"Huh? Oh, good morning Ryuji. I was just thinking."

"Well, let's head to school together. I mean, it's right there, but whatever." Akira chuckled softly at Ryuji and they walked inside of the school together. They loitered around the school with each other until the bell rang.

When Akira was sitting in class, he felt his phone buzz. When he looked down, he saw the familiar pop-up of their group chat. Ann peered down at her phone also, looking down at the yellow icon with Ryuji's face.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|1:42 PM|April 16th|**

**Ryuji:** ey we're meetin up at the hideout after school right?

 **Ann:** hideout???❓⁉️❔ also wait did ryui change the name of the gc again...

 **Akira:** Whoops i forgot to tell you. It's the rooftop of the school. also yeah ryuji changed it

 **Ann:** oh!! but don't text me, we're in the middle of class!! 💢

 **Ryuji:** wait ur actually listenin to that crap?!?! whoa…

 **Ann:** well, trying too is more accurate… none of its sticking… 😑

 **Ryuji:** right?!?!? anyways hideout after school!!!

 **Akira:** I'll meet you guys there

"Hey, Kurusu!" Ushimaru-sensei yelled at him. Akira quickly shoved his phone and looked up at the pissed off teacher. Ann quickly and quietly shoved her phone away also, giving a glance towards Akira nervously. "You! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you?!"

Akira felt a murderous intent, a piece of chalk flying towards Akira's face at lightning speed. Years of training paid off when he successfully cranked his head over to the side, the piece of chalk slamming against the floor and bursting apart. The students whispered, shocked at his reflexes.

"Tch… Pay attention next time! Stop whispering! We're moving on to the next topic!" Ushimaru yelled, irritated that Akira managed to dodge that. Akira's heart was pounding, extremely thankful that it didn't slam into the middle of his forehead.

"Jeez, I can't believe you dodged that! You looked pretty charming, Akira," Morgana complimented him. Akira simply cleared his throat and looked up back to the lesson, his hand sneaking inside of his desk to pat Morgana's head.

"T-thank you…" Akira whispered out faintly. Morgana purred in acknowledgment.

When school finally got out and they were all on the school roof, Ryuji looked at everyone and brought out his phone. Morgana cleaned himself, licking at his fur casually and lazily.

"Everyone is here, right? Mkay, let's get goin'!" Ryuji's thumb floated over the Palace history. Morgana quickly shut him down, looking up from his grooming session.

"Hold on, it's still too early for us to head to the Palace."

"But why? Don't we just gotta steal that Treasure thing?" Ryuji questioned.

"Don't underestimate the dangers of that place. We need to prepare!"

"Ain't that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?" Morgana scowled at Ryuji.

"That's exactly what I mean when I say don't underestimate it. You'll die if you mess up in there." It seemed that Ryuji and Ann had realized their mortality and how easy it'd be to die in there. "So again, we need to prepare before we head in."

"But… how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Morgana grinned at the sound of Ann's voice, "I'm glad you asked, Lady Ann. First, we'll need to find better equipment for all of you."

"You talkin' about weapons? Oh, I know a kick-ass place!"

Morgana nodded at Ryuji, "In that case, you can handle that side of things. The only other thing would be stocking up on medicine. Fatigue is unavoidable in a Palace…"

"And where can we get medicine?"

"Don't worry, I know just the place. I hope you look forward to it, Lady Ann! Now then, Akira and I have some business in Yongen, so let's head off for today!" Morgana meowed. Akira looked at Morgana confusedly, "What… What business…?"

"Just come with me! I won't be able to get close enough myself."

Akira sighed and sat up from his chair while Morgana slid into his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and headed for the door.

"Well, I'll be off then. Morgana's orders…" Akira waved goodbye and they took the train until they arrived in Yongen-Jaya.

"Hey, remember that customer you met at Leblanc yesterday?"

"…Can I assume that you're making me buy medicine from her because she's a doctor…? Or, um, am I wrong?"

"Bingo, right on the money! She apparently prescribes medication after a quick examination. This is perfect for us. If she's the type of doctor to get sketchy rumors, she might help us out. But first, we have to find the clinic. Get walking, Shorty!"

"Yes, sir…" Akira sighed, walking among the small and secluded streets of Yongen-Jaya, searching for a clinic that seemed shady and small. It was probably hidden in a weird area, too. He was right, it was a small set of stairs that led to a shabby door.

"This is the clinic that the chief mentioned. Now, how can we get them to give us some medicine?"

Akira looked at the expression on Morgana's face and raised his eyebrows. Was it not obvious what he was going to do?

"…Lie?" Akira then smiled at him. "I-I'll just wing it and get a feel for her personality. Leave it to me."

"All right. Let's step inside."

When they got inside, it seemed like a regular old clinic. Anatomy charts and eye tests, uncomfortable-looking seats, and the back area where the doctor sells her medicine. Akira walked right up to the woman, planning on using his injuries as leverage to start a conversation.

"…Is this your first time?" Morgana poked his head out to listen to the woman speak. "Hm? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…"

"Ah, yes. We met at Leblanc." Akira told her. The doctor eyed him again and sighed, "Ah… Well, whatever. So, what are you here for today?"

"I'm looking to get some pain medication for my wounds… They're getting better, but pain relief cream doesn't do too much. I feel super sore all the time…" The best way to act and lie is to throw in a little bit of truth. It makes it seem real enough that it gets by. She looked at his body up and down, looking at the bandages and small bruises poking out from under his sleeves.

"…All right. Please head over to the exam room." She left the counter and headed to the back. She unlocked the blue door to his right, Akira stepping in to see a white bed with a computer. There was a curtain covering the back area, seeing small hints of red light. Akira shrugged and looked back at the doctor.

"First question, how did you get those injuries?"

"I… got in trouble with some people. It's all okay now, of course, but my wounds have been annoying." Akira responded to her.

"Is that so… I'm going to prescribe you some pain relievers, okay?" She clicked the back of her pen and started writing on her clipboard. She suddenly paused, scribbling out what she wrote. "Actually, I still need to restock those… So let's go with sleeping pills instead. Sleep is the best medicine anyway. Which type of pill do you want, a sweet-tasting one or a bitter one?"

"Um, whichever one is fine…"

"What about a stinky one?" She asked with zero hints of sarcasm. "Just kidding. There's no such pill. All right, why don't we stop beating around the bush…"

"Huh?"

"Your injuries don't actually hurt, don't they? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know. Sure, they might be a bit uncomfortable but they'll mostly be healed by tomorrow. And you know that, don't you?" Akira stiffened up at her bold proclamation. "I'm guessing you're here because you heard the rumors about me, huh?"

"Akira, say something…!" Morgana whispered-yelled at him.

"Y-yes, that's true. Are the rumors true…?"

Morgana looked at him dumbfounded.

"Who's to say? But as a result, all I get are patients with ulterior motives now. I guess middle school kids have it rough nowadays too, huh?"

"I-I'm actually in high school…" Akira stuttered in embarrassment. His act faltered a bit, a more innocent appearance and personality popping out.

"Oh, really? Well, fine. I'll prescribe you some medication." Akira looked at her with wide eyes, surprised that even that she knew he had ulterior motives, she'd still prescribe her medication. "But _only_ medication that will help you recover your health. I don't think that you're a drug addict, so it'll be fine. You seem earnest and you don't look like trouble, especially with that stature and bandages all over you.

"I-I'm not sure if I should be happy about that…"

"You should be happy that you look young. A lot of benefits come from looking your age. This is my private practice. All the medicine I dispense is original." She explained. "I have a license to make my own formulas. You've likely seen them being sold at various hospitals. It's _your_ responsibility to take care of yourself. So if that's okay with you, stop by anytime."

"That'll really help. But… This isn't the most formal practice, is it?" Akira jabbed at her.

"Are you calling me a bad doctor? Well, I wouldn't argue against it. It's all up to opinion, but I'm doing you a favor right now." She uncrossed her legs and bit the back of her pen, looking away from Akira's gaze. "You're a pretty weird kid, you know? I wonder what you're going to use the medicine for… Well, asking as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem…"

The doctor gestured for him to come closer to her desk, Akira scooting his chair closer. She laid out her clipboard, a sheet of paper with a list of prescriptions. "This is all I've got right now…"

Akira looked through the list. It was like he could see all of the benefits that it would have in the Metaverse. He swiftly chose some of the cheaper medicines, but it would do great in that Palace.

"Then good luck with that."

Akira sat up and politely excused himself, bowing to the woman who gave a slight wave as he left the examination room. When he walked out, a middle-aged man seemed to be waiting outside. A patient, huh? One with ulterior motives, just like him.

He quickly moved away so the man could get to the room. Just as Akira was about to turn the doorknob, he heard them talking.

"What's the reason for your visit? Do you have a cold? Stomachache? Athlete's foot? Whatever it is, you'll need to take a number…"

"…Enough of this!" The man from before boomed. Akira turned around, looking over at the door. He probably shouldn't eavesdrop, but from the way Morgana looked at him along with the situation he was in, he was obligated to do it. "You're the only one who could have developed that type of medicine." The man continued.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about…" The doctor's listless and bored voice came out of her mouth.

"Don't play dumb with me. Rumor has it, it's a drug so potent it can give a person unlimited power."

"Really? That's news to me."

Akira almost laughed at the concept of a drug making someone a superhuman. It was stupid, something like that would either kill you or only work in the Metaverse… It's exactly what they needed.

"Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that will only become a social issue." The man said to her. Akira was standing to the side of the door, soaking the information in like a sponge.

"You're really persistent, you know that? I'm just a quack…"

"The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it." The man mentioned. "You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh? You're a disgrace to the medical community."

There was a short pause, Akira listening to the clock tick. "…Tsk!" The doctor hissed out. He could hear the anger in her voice.

"What's with the look, huh? That was your mistake, was it not? I won't be responsible for your criminal action. Dispose of that 'medicine' immediately and resign."

Morgana looked over at Akira's face. He had never seen that expression before. It was devious and cunning, almost like he had done this before. Akira's eyes were sharp, the glasses accentuating the unreadable look in his eye. Information. Akira had information now, and it'd do a lot of good for him.

"The name Takemi Tae will never— Hey, is somebody there?!"

 _"That's my cue…_ " Akira thought, quickly heading over to the entrance and leaving. He stepped into the fresh air, leaving the stuffy and heated environment of the clinic. He walked around the corner and left the back-alley, stretching his arms out and yawning.

"Geez, we almost got caught… Sounded like they were talking about something dangerous…" Morgana meowed over his shoulder. Akira shrugged, "Dangerous for her, not dangerous for us. This'll actually be helpful."

"I guess so… That medicine seems interesting, even if it ends up being fake."

"Oh, no. It's probably real. That conversation was our ticket… Blackmail is a powerful thing, you know?"

"Scary… You're very different sometimes. It's almost like you're a completely different person!" Morgana pointed out. Akira chuckled nervously and scratched the top of his messy head.

"O-only when I need to be… I'm pretty much the same in every other situation…" Akira quickly moved away from the topic. "We should come back when that man isn't here… I'll ask her about it. We shouldn't get anyone else involved."

"The Phantom Thieves should remain a secret. We shouldn't involve people that have nothing to do with this."

Akira nodded at Morgana, a small smile on his face. "Right, right. I'd say that went… decent."

 _Ding-a-ling!_ Akira's phone rang. Akira quickly took it out of his pocket and unlocked his phone, looking over RyujI's texts from the group chat.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|3:57 PM|April 16th|**

**Ryuji:** so u know that store i mentioned with the model guns???

 **Ryuji:** its in shibuya i can go w/ u if ya want

 **Akira:** sure, i'll follow along

 **Ryuji:** sweeeettt

 **Ryuji:** where we gonna meet at? we can meet @ shibuya station if u know how 2 get there

 **Ann:** hey, i'm not going to be able to make it. i'm trusting you guys to check the place out for me!!

 **Ryuji:** why can't you make it???

 **Ann:** not tomorrow… i made plans to see shiho at the hospital

 **Ryuji:** ah gotcha. don't worry, we got this

 **Akira:** give shiho my love when you visit!!

 **Ann:** i will!! 💞

 **Ryuji:** ill see ya in shibuya akira!! imma be in front of the station

 **Akira:** okie dokie!

Morgana and Akira headed for Leblanc after that, Akira sitting down on his mattress laid on top of cardboard boxes and sighed.

"How are your injuries?" Morgana asked him as Akira started to pull off his shirt.

"They're getting better. I'm just glad I haven't seen… _him_ in person yet. What happened back then when I panicked… it won't happen again. Ever."

"Has it ever happened to you before? What even was that?" Morgana jumped up onto the bed next to Akira as he started to slather medicine onto his skin.

"It hasn't happened before. I had a panic attack, that's what you call it. I think. It was short and brief though, it wasn't much…" Akira lied to him, ignoring the cat's blue gaze.

"I'll be here with you all the time so if you have any problems, I can assist you! That's part of our deal, is it not?"

"It is, isn't it? I should probably head to sleep so me and Ryuji can check this store out." Akira started pulling off his clothes and slipped on something more comfortable, flopping onto his bed and lazily pulling the sheets over him. Morgana curled up onto his chest as they fell into a deep sleep.

It was the 17th of April when he walked out to see Ryuji in casual clothes. His fashion sense, was, well; interesting at best. A black shirt with a face on it with a purple and red jacket was an odd combination, but he appreciated his chaotic clothing style. It wouldn't be Ryuji if it wasn't, he supposed. Akira was dressed in a red bell-sleeve sweater with tight black jeans and red sneakers. His sweater went past his hands, his fingers poking out a bit.

"Looks like you made it. The shop's on Central Street, so we gotta go through the Crossing to get there."

"The 'Crossing'…? Oh, you mean Shibuya Scramble Crossing?" Akira asked him. Ryuji nodded.

"Ah, almost forgot you're not from Tokyo. You fit in with the scenery pretty well, you know, except you have an accent."

"Y-you can tell…?" Akira covered his mouth in embarrassment. He didn't think it came out that often, but he slipped sometimes.

"It comes out every once in a while, but you cover it up pretty well, country boy," Ryuji told him. Akira laughed nervously, glad that Ryuji thought it was a rural Japanese accent. "We just have to cross through the crazy intersection. Once we get through that, we'll pretty much be at Central Street. All right, let's get goin'!"

Shibuya is a crazy place to be. It's a massive change compared to his little hometown. Akira was especially careful when handling Morgana in his bag while walking around. Chatter was everywhere. Car horns blared, people were shoving past each other— But what caught his eye was a politician standing on a wooden step, a sash wrapped around his body as he spoke his heart out to the crowd. Akira stopped to tune in for a second. Ryuji raised his eyebrows at Akira before sighing, stopping next to him.

"Everyone, wake up! This country is twisted! While Japanese society may appear to be thriving, many young people have not been as blessed as their elders. They have no jobs, no savings, no financial security whatsoever…" The orator spoke out, using bold gesticulations. "These young people should be tackling their futures head-on, but instead, they're too busy merely trying to survive."

"Eh, people give speeches all the time. Plus, politics are pretty boring, anyway."

"I guess so. I haven't run into something like this though, so it's interesting to me. W-we should probably move on now…"

Central street was an eyesore. It was grand and large, the size looming over him. It's a maze of an area.

"Follow me. The shop can be pretty confusin' to find sometimes." Ryuji ran across the street. Akira followed along, running after Ryuji. Ryuji quickly stopped and looked to the left. The shop was tucked away from the main street. It was sketchy, a bright green neon-light sign hung over the shop's door, the word 'Untouchable' screaming at them.

"How is it? Pretty legit, huh?" Ryuji nudged Akira's shoulder.

"It looks really sketchy…" Akira told him. Ryuji's smile went away and he looked up at the building with a tense expression.

"Right? To be honest, it'd be a bit scary to go in alone… Anyways, let's check out what's inside."

Akira walked up the door with his palm on the handle. Ryuji was right by his side and he knew Ryuji was strong but… Man, this was terrifying… Ryuji stopped him before they went in, ruining his steadily building confidence.

"Oh yeah, before we head in… you know anything about guns and shit?" Akira shrugged. "Guess we can just ask the guy behind the counter if we can't figure out what we want. C'mon, let's do this."

As soon as he walked inside, the atmosphere slapped him in the face. A sudden bolt of inspiration struck down and he was already formulating a piece of music in his mind. He walked over to the man at the counter and spoke to him.

"You know what you want yet?" He was sucking on a… Lollipop? What stood out most to him was the tattoo on his neck peeking out of his jacket and shirt's collar. "…You lookin' for recommendations? …I dunno, just buy whatever looks interestin' to you."

"Ugh, some customer service…" Ryuji shot back at the man, taking zero bullshit. Akira could see the testosterone building up in the room. It was _stuffy._

"Hahhh… Fine, whaddya want? An automatic? A revolver?" The man asked. Akira opened his mouth up to respond, but it seems like Ryuji opened his first.

"Uh, automatic…? _Dude,_ why're you talkin' about cars now?!" Akira ran his fingers down his face at that question. Ah, Ryuji… You wouldn't be yourself if you didn't do things like this.

"Listen, this here's an enthusiasts shop. My regulars'll be mad if I let a casual like you hang around."

"I'm not a freakin' casual! I bought shit from here like, last week!" Ryuji argued back. The shopkeeper didn't seem to manage, replying with a surly and listless voice, "Huh, can't remember you."

"You bastard…" Ryuji hissed out in defeat, hunching over himself before looking back at the surly manager.

"And you, missy? Lookin' for somethin'?" The man looked over at him.

"I'm not a— Well, actually, I'm here for something fancy. I like decals and nice paint. I'm not picky when it comes to the type, though." He just needed to get the guns and go out…

"…Oh? You a collector? Huh, you're way more interestin' than blondie over there."

"Oh, shut it! And Akira's a dude." Ryuji growled at him. Akira slapped his shoulder, shutting him up, and looked back at the manager with a sweet face. He might get benefits as a girl, so he just needed to play this card a little longer.

"Anyways… You shoulda said before you two're enthusiasts. I'm always up for helpin' fresh faces." The man took his legs off the counter and sitting down properly. He took out a gun for them to look at.

"Some precautions, though. Don't go pointing 'em at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or somethin' if you're outside. Oh, and don't like the fuzz catch wind of you having 'em. I don't need them comin' around here."

"Don't worry, sir! We'll be careful, promise!" Akira skillfully raised his voice. The man sighed. "You better be… Now, if you look close, you'll be able to tell there're models. Real guns feel… Different. Maybe someday I'll show you the real good stuff though— if you got the guys for it, of course."

The man stood up from his seat and started heading to the left, presumably where the back area was. "…But for now, you get the beginner section. Just sit tight. I'll bring 'em out."

"…We did it, _dude._ Why the hell're you playin' girl?!" Ryuji whisper-yelled at him. Akira purposefully brushed his hair down with his fingers to make it look longer. He also pulled down his sweater a bit

"L-look! If being a girl benefits me, I'm going to do it. I can pass as a girl any day as long as I'm not in uniform, so _shhh!"_ Akira told him. Ryuji groaned. "Okay, okay, _fine._ Better get something good, _miss._ Here's the cash for my gun. I want it to shine!"

"Don't play it too far, Akira… He might feel tricked." Akira considered Morgana's advice and turned back to the sound of the man coming to the counter. He displayed a range of things to pick from

There was a small selection of guns, armor, accessories, and close-combat weapons to choose from. Akira splurged his money on it. The money he'd been saving up to move out of his parent's house when he graduated seemed like a fleeting dream at this point, so it didn't hurt to spend it. He'd make as much money as he could while he was on probation. He didn't have much holding him back (besides his upcoming expulsion).

He sold off their old equipment and replaced it all with the new ones. Like everything else after experiencing that weird prison in his dream, he could see the attributes and help that certain weapons and items would do in the Metaverse. There weren't any floating numbers telling him everything, it was more instinctual.

"Oh, yeah. There's somethin' you should know. I don't buy off-model guns from other people, so keep that in mind. I don't wanna deal with any problems buyin' somethin' that's already been modified." The man told him, reverting to his relaxed position after handing him a bag filled with their new equipment. It was sealed off completely with none of the contents from the bag showing inside. It was rather light, which Akira was thankful for. "And that's all I gotta say."

"Well, thank you, sir. We'll be heading out now. Please excuse us." Akira bowed at a perfect eighty-degree angle before leaving the store with Ryuji.

"…Come again," the man yawned as they left. When they stepped outside, Ryuji stretched his limbs out, "I'll let you do the choosin' from now on. You better get me the strongest-lookin' one!"

"Don't worry, the ones I got you look pretty cool. I think you'll like yours too, Morgana!" Akira smiled at him. Morgana looked over his shoulder and looked at his face. "I hope so!"

They went home after eating some food with Ryuji. It was simple food from a convenience store. Akira opted for cup ramen along with Ryuji. Akira offered some to Morgana, but the deathly red color of the noodles turned him away from it. And also the _smell._ Ryuji looked at Akira as he ate his noodles, judging him like he just committed a crime against humanity.

He stepped into Leblanc with his tongue still tingling and red. A man sat at one of the tables, looking over at Sojiro's direction.

"Boss, did you hear? Apparently, that subway driver from the accident was acting really odd during his testimony hearing."

"You talking about that psychotic whatever thing people're going on about?" Sojiro asked him. The haughty customer nodded, "Yeah, I heard it completely alters your personality. The news is saying the driver couldn't even speak when they tried asking him questions."

"Only an idiot'd believe a preposterous story like that. Oh and sorry, but we're closing soon," Sojiro put it bluntly and wiping down the bar area of Leblanc.

"Hmph, how rude. This must be why you don't get many customers." The customer shot back, a mocking voice and expression. "Your coffee's actually not half bad. The beans must be lamenting the sorry state of this store…"

"Thanks for stopping in. Please come again."

The customer crossed his arms and stood up from his seat, "I'm only trying to help you fix your business. Thanks for the coffee, at least."

The customer left him a ring of a doorbell, Sojiro sighing and slumping over the counter. "Sheesh, what a pain…"

"I can tell," Akira responded, about to head up the stairs. Sojiro looked up to Akira, catching him before his head disappeared into the attic. "Ah, ah! Go wash some dishes if you're bored. You don't have much to do right now, don't you?"

"…How's business?" Akira asked slyly. Sojiro glared at him, "Doesn't concern you. It's all good as long as the shop doesn't fall. I'm not gonna go wearing a fake smile."

"That's pretty admirable. But, what if that motto of yours fails?"

"Who knows? Maybe I'll end up living out on the streets. As long as I'm here, the world leaves me be. No annoyances or troublesome people to deal with. It's like my own personal hideaway. I'd be kinda screwed if I lost it, but I guess you would be too."

"That's… An interesting perspective. I've never had a place like that, um, so I'm glad that you have one."

"This place is also your place, so you better at least try and be useful around here."

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, I'm leaving now. Don't cause any trouble."

Akira started heading up the stairs, setting his bag down. Morgana leaped out of it and stretched himself out, his claws extending out before retracting. He walked on over to the cardboard box sitting on one of the bottom shelves. It was wide open, revealing Akira's collection of unique clothing.

"You have a lot of interesting clothes, Akira. I didn't expect you to have fashion like that." Morgana peered into it and hummed in astonishment. They were silky and see-through. A lot of it seemed to be fit for athletic wear, but it was flashy nonetheless. It was more on the feminine side of things. "Are these… tights?"

"It's not that interesting… I just wear whatever fits the trends, I guess. I like clothing that just makes me feel comfortable with myself."

"You really are weird, Akira. You're hiding something like this from everyone, aren't you?" Morgana asked cheekily. "You should just dress however you want. If you like clothes like these, you should just wear it."

"I-it's not really a secret…! I don't really think I should wear these ones, anyway… They stand out too much. I'll just be sticking with my casual clothing." Akira pat his head and closed the box up. He wouldn't pull out any of the weird clothing. It'd probably just be sweaters and hoodies the entire year, cycling between the same 3 pants and shirts.

His phone beeped, a notification from the group chat. Akira sat down next to Morgana so he could look at the messages also.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|6:21 PM|April 16th|**

**Ann:** i went to see shiho in the hospital…

 **Akira:** how is she??

 **Ann:** her condition is stable

 **Ryuji:** at least thats a bit of good news…

 **Akira:** little bits go a long way

 **Ann:** they don't know when she's going to regain consciousness, but I'm just thankful she's alive…

 **Ryuji:** the little things are what counts!!! we just gotta hope she'll pull through. we have to believe in her

 **Ann:** yeah, i know she'll get better. but im not forgiving kamoshida. ever

 **Ann:** hes going to pay for everything he's done

 **Ryuji:** we'll all make sure of it

 **Akira:** i'll see you guys tmrw

"It looks like we're just about ready to go to the Palace. We just need to assemble some infiltration tools." Morgana told him over his shoulder. Akira craned his head back as he viewed an upside-down Morgana from his perspective speaking to him. He pawed his face. "Go and clean off that desk back there so we can use it. After that, we can make some things."

Akira sighed, putting head his back in place as he pushed himself off the dusty floor. He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and started to clean the desk. Even though a tarp was laid over it, it was dusty as all hell. Akira coughed from the specs of lint flying up into his face as he diligently wiped it down. It was a pretty nice desk. It was old, but it was better than nothing.

"Great, now you can make things whenever you want! I'll provide the materials this time. Try making a lockpick." Morgana pulled out pieces of scrap metal and the like from a pile behind the stairs. It was too crowded so he couldn't reach that area, but Morgana could get to it just fine. He placed it onto the desk as Akira took hold of a pair of pliers and a hammer. "Don't think too hard about it. You'll get the hang of it. Everyone starts off a bit clumsy. Don't be sad if it doesn't go well at first, okay?"

"Okay…" Akira began to hack away at his little creation. The final product looked usable and Morgana looked extremely pleased with the result. "Great! We should be able to use this."

"We should be ready now. We're heading to the Palace tomorrow. Let's get some sleep, we'll need to stock up our energy." Akira agreed with Morgana, changed out of his clothes, and slipped into new ones, laying in his bed and thinking about what he'd do tomorrow.

When Akira wakes up, he wakes up early. Morgana is still sleeping when he wakes up. He does his dirty laundry in a nearby laundromat and he also cleans himself at the bathhouse.

Akira walked over to the school gates and saw Kamoshida standing there, welcoming students into the building. Akira had to get inside, but he slowed every single step he took. Every tap against the concrete floor resonated and echoed in his ears. He purposefully looked away from Kamoshida's gaze when he got close. Akira could feel Morgana pressing into his back in an attempt to comfort him, but he also stayed away from the teacher's sight.

"Ah, good morning Kurusu."

Akira froze and he stuttered on his words. "G-good morning, K-Kamoshida-s-sensei…" He quickly tried to walk past him and go onto the steps, but Kamoshida's voice stopped him again.

"…That admirable behavior won't do you any good once you're expelled. My offer still stands. You'll get a lot of perks, Kurusu. I know you have experience in doing these things, so it shouldn't be that hard for you."

Akira walked past him with shaky, clenched fists. When he got to class, he was jittering. He was hyper-aware of everything around him. The dirt in his nails, the marks on his desk, the blueness of Morgana and Ann's eyes— everything was on his mind and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"Kurusu-kun. A word with you, please?"

"H-huh?" Akira asked, breaking out of his trance. "Ah, of course, sensei…" He left his seat and pushed it back in, leaving Morgana inside of his desk as he followed the teacher. They walked out of the class and Kawakami-sensei stopped him for a second.

"There's something I'd like to ask you. It won't take long."

"Ah, it's no problem…" Akira replied, not meeting her gaze. He heard the sliding of a blue door, staring up at the people who left the room. It was the red-ribboned girl, a man in a suit, and…

"I see you're already getting on top of the problem I'd mentioned this morning, Kawakami-sensei! I appreciate the support," Kamoshida cheered. Akira immediately shot his head back down to the ground when he saw him.

"Thank you again." He heard from the girl. It was a familiar voice, bird-like, and kind. It almost made him want to tear his gaze from the ground and smile at her, but he held back. She was speaking to him, wasn't she? It was rude to not look back at her and acknowledge it, but… He _couldn't._

"Oh, you know this guy, Yoshizawa?"

"Yes, he lent me a helping hand earlier."

He could hear Kamoshida huff, reminding Yoshizawa of his horrendous criminal record, "I recommend you steer clear of the likes of him if you have any consideration for your future. Remember the discussion we just had? There are a number of students in this school you shouldn't get involved with… This one's at the top of the list."

"Oh, the delinquent transfer student…? But isn't he—"

Damn, that _hurt._ This really, really hurt to hear from her. He prayed that she wouldn't figure out about him, but it seemed inevitable from how close in proximity they were. He flinched when she said it, Yoshizawa realizing that her words had hurt him. She was about to apologize, but Kawakami-sensei stepped into the conversation instead.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the guidance office."

"Oh, pardon me." He said politely. "We should be going too— don't want to get in the way of guiding this _delinquent_ and all."

Kamoshida and the man with a suit walked away. When Akira finally turned his head up, he was met with a guilty and sorry-looking expression from Yoshizawa. "…Please, excuse us." She bowed swiftly before leaving with the two men.

Kawakami-sensei sighed, gesturing towards the door. "After you."

Akira sat down in one of the wooden chairs, his feet kicking above the ground as Kawakami-sensei sat across from him. "I'm going to get straight to the point: did something happen between you and Kamoshida-sensei?"

"W-why do you ask…?" Akira replied to her.

"Well, there was that little exchange just now, but that's not all…" Kawakami-sensei crossed her legs. "He gave me a brief lecture this morning, and your name came up. Something about the dangers of a lack of supervision… Hahh, I don't mean to pry, but… Just make sure you don't go causing trouble, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

"Oh, and one more thing." She continued. "That girl outside the office— you didn't make a pass at her, did you?"

"N-no! No, not at all… Kasumi-chan— I mean— Yoshizawa-san and I know each other. Well, she knows me as Moon Ye-jun but not as Kurusu Akira… She might've recognized me already, though…"

"Well, Kamoshida-sensei has a _real_ close eye on you… Apparently, you've been getting involved with Sakamoto-kun. You're also acquainted with Yoshizawa-san as well." Kawakami-sensei stated. "…Maybe you're just naturally drawn to athletes?"

"Sorry, bad joke." Kawakami-sensei apologized. "In any case, if Yoshizawa-san ends up finding out about you, you'll have to make sure she stays quiet about it. It'd be a disaster if the media caught on that we're housing an international idol… That's all I wanted to discuss. You're free to go."

"I understand… Thank you, Kawakami-sensei." Akira sat up from his chair and bowing to her before sliding the door open.

He got back to class. The lessons rolled in, and like always, Ryuji seemed to not care about the information classes give, but Akira was the same.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|8:23 AM|April 17th|**

**Ryuji:** so i saw kamoshida @ the school gates this mornin

 **Ryuji:** he was just standin there lookin at me with this shit eatin grin on his face!!

 **Ann:** ugh, that's annoying… ☠💢 he was probably mocking you 🤡🤡

 **Ryuji:** honestly seein that got me even more fired up about this

 **Ann:** hey wait, did kamoshida say anything to you akira??

 **Akira:** a little bit, but i'm fine. he was just being gross again…

 **Ryuji:** i hate him even more now. that shit stain….

 **Ryuji:** we're def pullin this off

 **Ann:** i'm worried about shiho and akira, but i'm not going to get exhausted and desperate like last time

 **Ann:** i want you guys to be safe, so i have to keep myself safe also

 **Akira:** our deadline is May 2nd. that's when the board meeting happens, so we'll have to do it before then

 **Akira:** i appreciate the concern you guys have for me, but my injuries are healed up now. i'll be fine, so just concentrate on our mission!

 **Ann:** if you say so… but i'm so ready!! 💞💫💟🧚♀️

 **Ryuji:** same goes for me!!! tells us when we go on, aight?

 **Akira:** i will, i will!

He went to the library after school to pick up some books. He might as well spend his free time reading instead of just doing nothing the entire day. Rumors follow Akira around, even when he was in the library. The girl helping to checkout books essentially told him he wasn't wanted anywhere after she explained everything about the library. He grabbed the book he wanted and left the library, passing by a head of chestnut hair as he left.

He wanted to wander around Tokyo before heading to the Palace. For example, he found a gem of a store in the underground mall of Shibuya. It was a flower shop. He was reminded of the dying plant in his room, so he bought some bio-nutrients to nurse it back to health. He raided all of the vending machines he could think of. Morgana was extremely confused about why he was buying so many drinks and shoving them into his bag. All he said was that he'd see what it'd do in the Palace.

What he wanted to do was get involved with that gothic doctor. Akira was extremely intrigued by her in a lot of ways. She was so carefree, but she hid a lot of things away. It's always easy to read people, but this woman is slightly more difficult than others.

He walked up to the counter and presented the question. "D-do you have anything 'special' on the menu?"

"Huh?" She went silent for a second, knowing exactly what he was asking. "Now I remember. You're the kid who was at Leblanc. Regular medicine won't do the trick for you?"

"P-please, I'm begging you…" This medicine would be the key to the Palace, he just knew it.

"…Very well. Just head into the examination room for now." She told him. Akira gave her a simple smile and turned to head through the blue door on his right. He sat down on a stool and watched as the doctor leaned upon the door.

"…That 'medicine,' huh?" She asked him. Akira said nothing, waiting for her next move. It was tense.

She locked the door, blocking the doorknob with her body. Akira was slightly disturbed by it, but he didn't sense any malicious intent from Takemi-san. "So… Which conversation of mine did you eavesdrop on to hear that?"

"H-huh…?" Akira played dumb, but he realized his acting skills were getting worse and worse.

"It would've been hard to tell since you're pretty light on your feet. But as I said, I'm not stupid. Well, it's not that I care, of course." Takemi-san scratched the back of her head with her pen. "I was going to dispose of that medicine anyway. I got a little too carried away with it. …But tell me, why would a high schooler like yourself be so interested in that medicine?"

"It may not seem like it, but you're pretty athletic. But I don't think you'd use it for that. It's very strange indeed… What are you up to?" She interrogated him. He pulled an answer right out of his ass.

"I-it's for studying. Entrance exams are coming up, I want to be prepared."

"Entrance exams, huh? So you're looking to improve your concentration and reduce fatigue? Hm, that's not the best idea. But if that's what you want to do…" She unlocked the door out and moved out of the way, pointing her clipboard to the door. "Then good luck with that. I have no obligation to help you with that. Why don't you have an energy drink or something?"

"Takemi-san, I need that medicine. More than you think…"

She gave him a rude stare and groaned. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

"F-fully aware!"

"…The medicine is really expensive. And it's not something a high schooler can get his hands on. It costs almost as much as a car. Got it? So how about you just go home?"

"I-if I need to sell one of my kidneys for this, take it." He was going to wait here until he had an agreeable choice. "I'll work for it if I have to."

"What, like part-time help?" Akira shrugged. It was whatever she wanted from him, he supposed. "…Do you consider yourself someone with a good amount of stamina?"

"Huh? Um, yeah. I guess so…?" Akira said nervously. He didn't know where she was going with this, and that _terrified_ him.

"I admit I've been looking for a young person around your age to help me out, but I haven't been able to find one even after putting an ad on the paper." She gave him a lazy smile, sinister yet genuine. "…Are you up for it?"

"…S-sure…?" Akira was completely unsure, yet he agreed. This was pretty dangerous, but what was self-preservation anyway?

"Okay then. You'll be participating in clinical trials for my medicine." She told him. Akira just nodded slightly at her response. "Hang on. I'll be right back."

 _"Oh… That doesn't seem too bad… Maybe."_ Akira thought as Takemi-san walked back in. She had some sort of mixture in her hand, and she passed it over to Akira.

"Here you are." She says. Akira looked down at the swirling red liquid. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea.

"…Worried about the side effects, huh? Well, you can relax. Rest assured, my autopsy is guaranteed to find out exactly what part of it killed you."

"Haha, r-right…" He was sweating bullets. He couldn't take his eyes off of the mixture.

"What, aren't you going to take it? The exit's right there if you want to leave." Takemi-san asked him. Akira took a deep breath and slapped the side on one of his cheeks. If he didn't drink this, Takemi-san wouldn't provide her special menu of medicine. Now or never…

"B-bottoms up!" Akira said out loud, downing the entire thing in one go. Takemi-san stared back at him with wide eyes, surprised that he had the guts to do it.

"W-what— I can't believe you drank it…"

Akira smacked his lips at the odd taste. Bitter yet sour, spicy yet sweet… It was beyond what he could describe it as. He couldn't even tell if he thought it was gross.

"Wow… You're still doing okay, huh? Hm. Not bad, for a high schooler." Her eyes suddenly went wide when looking at Akira's face. She looked nervous. "Uh…"

His head pulsated. Akira groaned out at the sudden shock, a hand going up to massage his temple. He collapsed onto the floor, his knees hammering against the toles as Takemi-san backed up from him. "…Welp. Game over, I guess." Is the last thing he heard before his vision cut out.

When he woke up, he felt gross and groggy. It was like he pulled three all-nighters only to take a one-hour power nap.

"Good evening." Takemi-san greeted him as he pushed himself off of the bed, slumped over as he sat on the bed. He looked up at her and rubbed his eyes.

"Do you remember anything from the moment you took the medicine until now?"

"…What?"

"Hm, I guess you don't." She said, looking down at her clipboard as she wrote numerous notes. "You briefly woke from your coma, but you were completely dazed during the entire examination. You eventually lost consciousness and fell back asleep."

"Huh…" He remembered none of that…

"Are you out of your mind? Only an idiot would have drunk that."

"I'm not out of my mind…" Akira told Takemi-san, leaning his back against the wall and sighing.

"Fine. By the way, the reason you lost consciousness was because of the taste. It produces a foul smell when it mixes with gastric juices, similar to surströmming."

"Yeah, that taste was… Weird."

"Oh well. All that matters is that thanks to you, I was able to get some good data." Takemi-san said to him. She stopped crossing her legs and looked straight at Akira. "Okay, it's my turn to make good on my part of the dead. That's why I waited until you woke up."

"W-wait, you're going to give me medicine?" Akira asked with wide eyes. Mission successful…

"I don't want the general public to know about my original medicines. So, you're strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone… Understood?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Takemi-san smiled at him. "Then it's a deal. As long as you come here for it, I'll give you the medicine at a good price whenever you want. I may even add additional selections, in time… I look forward to your continued patronage."

"As do I!"

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Death Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card appeared above Takemi-san's head before disappearing. This was the fourth deal he's made.

"So… When can you come back for the next clinical trial?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Oh, you don't remember that part, either? Well, I was saying that teenage test subjects are quite valuable in the medical research industry. So, I'll provide you the medicine for your entrance exam, and in exchange, you'll be my guinea pig. I have to perfect this medicine…

"If you're able to move now, you can go home."

"A-ah, yes. Please excuse me." Akira said, sitting up and grabbing his bag. He bowed before leaving the examination room. Takemi-san left it with him and before he left for the door, Takemi-san stopped him.

"Oh yeah. I'll contact you when I'm done prepping for the next clinical trial." She told him. "And I'll get together some compensation by then, for all of your efforts today. But you're not getting that in writing. Based on today's results, I think I can whip up some new medicine for next time. Drop by when you're ready for it." Akira gave her a thumbs up and walked out, thanking her again for the opportunity and the medicine. It seems he passed out for a while, it was already edging onto the evening.

 _"She's perfecting medicine… For what though?"_ Akira thought. Morgana pushed his head out with a gasp and breathed heavily."Jeez, I've been in this bag the WHOLE time… Everything was muffled in there."

Akira raised his eyebrows when he looked at his fur. It was messed up and dusty. "Did you take a nap…?"

"Oh, yeah. I did. It's pretty stuffy in here, though…" Morgana told him. Akira sighed, "I'm going to have to clean out my bag, then."

"What happened while I was sleeping?" Morgana asked him. Akira gave him a brief run-down on what happened and the deal he made with her.

"Akira, that's… Pretty sketchy. Are you sure about doing it this way?" 

Akira sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He walked around the corner and saw the familiar establishment of Leblanc.

"Well, it gets us the medicine. I don't have a choice if we're going to take down Kamoshida." Akira told him as he opened the door to Leblanc. Sojiro was standing there, and he lectured him about being useful to the café. Akira didn't have much to do other than doing homework, but Morgana _insisted_ that he should clean the attic after doing his homework. Akira begrudgingly agreed with him, pulling out a facemask as he swatted away dust bunnies and uncovered hidden treasures.

"Oh, look! That plant is still alive… We can decorate with it."

"I saw this when I first came here. Even though it was covered up, I could still see it…" Akira said, leaning down to inspect the leaves. "It's a surprise it's still alive. I doubt that it gets enough water or sunlight… You're a tough guy, aren't you?"

"This dreary and bland room cleared up a lot more because of it. We should take good care of it. Didn't you buy fertilizer or something earlier?"

"Oh, yeah! I planned on reviving it. It should be in my bag somewhere…" Akira said, pulling out a small pouch filled with dirt. "Bio-nutrients like these will help it out."

"We should clean out the shelves after this. We should eat something as well, more so for you." Morgana watched Akira zip open the bag and mix it into the plant's dirt. "I don't want you passing out on me from that weird medicine…"

"Don't worry too much! Take this down to the trash can for me, please. I'll take care of things here." Akira handed Morgana the empty plastic bag that used to be filled with dirt. He took it into his mouth and leaped down the stairs.

When he cleaned the shelves out, he uncovered incredible books. Even Morgana was stunned. "Politics, law, and philosophy… These all sound like some pretty difficult books."

Akira sat down and looked at the books, quickly flipping through all of the pages. There was some pretty difficult kanji in it, "It makes me wonder why Sojiro has these in the first place…"

"You should take one at least. Boss doesn't seem to be using these books." Morgana watched Akira take a few of the books and put them into his bag. He found a book that seemed extremely easy to read mixed in with the difficult ones. This year was getting even more interesting. He had a talking cat, weird superpowers, a shady doctor, and a restaurant owner with in-depth textbooks…

"I guess it doesn't matter. Reading is reading. But more importantly, this place feels like a room. Good job on cleaning up!"

"W-we found some pretty nice things, but I'm more interested in the CRT TV." Akira set his books down into his bags before inspecting the TV. "I need to buy a tuner so I can watch things on it."

"It'd be a waste to just let it sit there, so we should find something cheap. We can do that much later, though. We have our priorities."

"Yeah, I'm going to head to bed…" Akira yawned and stretched his arms out. He stressed his voice and let out a sigh of relief when the soreness in his shoulders disappeared.

Akira would keep working towards the future. Even if everything was uncertain, even if there's a chance that stealing the Treasure might not even work, they had to try. He had to keep trying.

It's all that he can do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!! It's been a while. School is starting for me soon, so updates are gonna be REALLY wack.
> 
> Also I'm going back to rewrite and edit chapters becauseeee the story is going to change slightly. The only changes is that Akira isn't going to only be a dancer. He's an idol now. Think of him as Rise from P4 but not really...
> 
> Also, yes! Kasumi and Akira know each other from before. More info on that in the next chapters lmao
> 
> ALSO ANN USES EMOJIS a lot. shes a fairy comment girl, I have decided. Sooo going back and changing her from kaomojis to just emojis


	9. Chapter 7: Eternity Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few shady dealings, the thieves head into the Palace to realize that the Metaverse is a lot more complicated than they thought it was in a lot of dangerous ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hello!! Looking for people to beta my fic!! If you're interested, contact me on one of my socials listed as the work notes!
> 
> Also, sorry for slow updates! I'm in school right now and I'd would love to NOT tank in every single class, so updates will be more late and sporadic more then ever

School wasn't impressive, and he knew that by heart. Akira could study and study, but he felt like he'd never get smarter. In fact, he always felt complacent in how he acts and feels. Nothing ever changed for him. Until now.

Akira realized that his feelings here are slowly blossoming and becoming something he had usually suppressed. He never told anybody anything and Akira would continue that, but it was still awkward for him to actually be able to have opinions and want to tell people about them.

For example, class was _boring._ It was always boring to him, but he still answered questions and wrote down notes even though he had zero interest, especially with Kamoshida still hanging around in the halls. He kept it up because he'd feel like a burden to Sojiro if he didn't, but it was also because he felt happy when Morgana praised him. Morgana looked proud of him whenever he answered a question right, and it made him smile.

After classes, he got a text from Ryuji.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|3:02 PM|April 18th|**

**Ryuji:** hey where r u rn

 **Akira:** I'm still at school

 **Ryuji:** we going to the palace today??

 **Akira:** Oh geez, probs not

 **Ryuji:** fine by me but... i thought of smth when we were runnin around in it last time

 **Ryuji:** i think it might be cause im not movin around as much lately but i feel like im gettin weak...

 **Ryuji:** we're probably gonna run into some tough situations so we should try and get stronger

 **Ryuji:** its really sunny outside and its perfect for trainin!!! wanna get your blood pumpin with me??

 **Akira:** sure!! I could use a bit of a workout... i'm getting all weak and stuff

 **Ryuji:** sick!! lets sweat it out behind the gym.

 **Ryuji:** be sure to change into ur gym clothes before goin

 **Akira:** gotcha gotcha will be there in a few

"I'll hang around the school, then. I'll meet you back up in the locker room." Morgana said when Akira walked outside, letting Morgana hop out of his bag and scurry away.

Akira met Ryuji behind the gym. Akira stretched out his body swiftly with expertise. Ryuji had a grin on his face, rose-colored glasses blurring his vision.

"Man, this place brings back memories..." Ryuji told him.

"It's really pretty in the spring. Look at all of these cherry blossoms..." Akira commented. He knew they weren't uncommon, but he'd much rather run around with cherry blossoms than slave away in a studio.

"Ain't it? I felt like you'd enjoy it. This place is my secret trainin' spot. Er... _Was._ Back when I was on the track team. _"_ Ryuji mumbled to him, shoving his hands in his pockets as Akira leaned down to pick up one of the petals off the floor. He continued, "Actually, I've been thinkin' about tryin' to run again."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Fightin' in that other world was a total shock. I couldn't move like I used to, even with all of the benefits and crazy power-ups. It just felt... Lame." Ryuji admitted to him. Akira nodded at what he was saying, agreeing with the sentiment.

"So I started thinkin', maybe I need to build up my muscles again. Anything's gotta be better than this flimsy body, right? Plus, maybe then I'll be able to help out a little more." Ryuji said to him. Akira giggled.

"I think you already help out a lot, Ryuji. But let's try our best regardless. I'm counting on you!" Akira smiled at him. Ryuji grinned, "Heheh. I'm gonna totally wreck your expectations! ...U-uh, I mean that in a good way!"

"I'll be cheering you on with the best of my ability! What are we going to do first?"

"I'm gonna do some knee lift sprints. You're stuck with the normal ones since you're still recovering. How are you feeling?"

"Getting better. The pain is mostly gone, my wounds are just itchy now though... Before we run, we should stretch a bit." Akira told him, starting to pull out his arms and roll his shoulders. "It's really important. I don't want you to end up getting an extreme leg cramp, especially since you have a bad leg."

"Damn, I almost forgot about that... Shows how long I've been gone from track." Ryuji sighed, looking over at Akira. "What's first, Leader?"

"Leg stretches, mostly. Hamstrings, quadriceps, things like those. Just follow my lead." Akira instructed him. Akira did stretching along with Ryuji, and his body felt a lot lighter after he did it. He hadn't had a real workout for a while, so this was really refreshing. Ryuji was already sweating from it when they started running.

They basically ran around the entire school, and when they came back Ryuji was dripping with sweat. Even the stretching didn't help his leg as much as he expected, because Ryuji's leg was throbbing.

"Haa... Gah, urgh... Damn, my legs're all tight..." Ryuji groaned to him while Akira wiped his sweat away with his jacket. Ryuji grimaced and looked over to Akira.

"Before Kamoshida came along, the track team was the biggest thing this school had goin' for it." Ryuji told Akira. "But it all changed after he got out coach fired and took over as the sub. That bastard... Right from the very start he was tryin' to get rid of us."

Akira frowned. Of course Kamoshida would do that. He'd do anything to be in first place for everything.

"He'd give us crazy workouts, then when we couldn't do 'em, he'd add even more on top of that... Day after day was nothing but that bullshit." Ryuji grit his teeth, seething and boiling with pure hatred. "He was goin' after me especially. He knew... He knew I was the kinda guy who'd fight back. If my time dropped even a little, he'd cuss me out. Then on top of that, he brought up my parents..."

"...And then what happened?" Akira asked, already knowing what had transpired. Ryuji ground his teeth, struggling to speak but he found his words.

"You're probably wondering why I've only got a mom. Truth is, my mom's the only one I got." Ryuji admitted to him. "All my dad did when he was still around was drink. Sometimes he'd even beat me, or my mom."

"I dunno how that bastard Kamoshida found out, but he was told the whole goddamn team..." Ryuji told him. Akira didn't speak or make a sound at the mention of his father. "..."

"And as you can guess, I lost it and hit him." Ryuji said to him. "It was like he wanted me to do it though. He called it an 'act of violence' and shut the team down... Thanks to that, the other guys on the team treat me like some kinda traitor... And they ain't wrong. 'Cause of me, they all lost their shot at the championship."

"It's still a bogus reason, Ryuji. If you're on a team, you should support and bring each other up... At least from my experience." Akira told him. "People should understand where others are coming from, but that's a little too hopeful, I suppose."

"...Do you want to go back?" Akira asked him.

"To the track team? Nah..." Ryuji said to him. He stayed silent for a second and looked at Akira with fake irritation. "C'mon, don't ask me tough questions like that. I'm not very smart, y'know? Anyways, it doesn't matter now. That's all in the past!"

"I'm only thinkin' about the future now! That's what we're gonna do— build the future!" Ryuji smiled at him. "We gotta think positive thoughts, brother!"

Ryuji put his hand up for a high-five, Akira un-enthusiastically smacking it back, but he couldn't contain his smile when it happened.

"C'mon, we're all warmed up, right? How about another run?"

"Another? Oh, come on..." Akira pleaded with him, begging for a longer break.

"Don't give me that! You said that you were in a team, so you should be able to run again. You're actually really good at it, but you're not as good as me, of course. What did you play?"

"Nope! Not answering that." Akira denied swiftly, speed walking away from Ryuji.

"Oh, oh! Let me guess! Soccer? No no no, wait! Tennis?!"

"Nope!" Akira denied once again, starting to run away from Ryuji faster and faster. Ryuji quickly caught up to him and kept bombarding him with questions.

"Come on, spill it!"

He didn't end up telling him after they were done. Their legs were too sore and their foreheads were too drenched in sweat to even think about it again.

When he got back to Leblanc with Morgana in his bag, Ryuji called him on his phone. Hearing the familiar tone of voice over the call was entertaining, the sweat on Akira's scalp slowing starting to dry. He's going to take a trip to the bathhouse after this...

"'Sup! You get home okay? Didn't trip or anythin'?"  Ryuji asked. He could hear the grin stretching cheek to cheek on the other line.  "But man, I'm so outta shape, felt like I could barely drag my damn legs up to the station steps... This would've never happened back then. Ugh... I should've kept up my running." 

"I think you're already super fast, even without the training." Akira told him. He could hear Ryuji scoff on the other side.

"I guess. At least my legs healed enough that I can actually run again. But it brings back bad memories, so I've been kind of avoidin' it."  Ryuji told him.  "I'm pretty rusty, but even if it got kinda rough, I had fun. And with you here, I get some friendly competition too. Plus we get to talk." 

"Well, I'm not exactly sure if I'm the best person to be running with, but I'll do my best to motivate you!" Akira cheered to him. Ryuji giggled back,  "What do you mean? You're the best choice I got! I wouldn't trade you for anyone else. But yeah, I'll catch up with you later. Tomorrow after school?" 

"Definitely. Talk to you later, Ryuji!" Akira hung up on the phone call and walked into Leblanc. A fresh plate of curry was set down on the counter for him already. It looks like Sojiro predicted the time he'd come inside of the store.

He chowed down on it and thanked Sojiro for the meal, realizing that all of that running made him incredibly hungry. When he finished up, he went into his desolate attic room. It felt so gloomy since there wasn't anything inside of it.

"...I have a good idea. Bring me that chair, the one in the corner." Morgana said out of the blue. Akira quirked an eyebrow at him but followed his instructions, pulling the chair out into the center of his room. "You can reach that beam on the ceiling if you stand on this chair, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so. It's a little bit... Dirty though."

"That's what you're worried about? Don't sweat the small stuff..." Morgana assured him. Akira crossed his arms, "I'm a very cleanly person, you know..."

"What's important right now isn't about getting _clean._ It's about training your body! You can use the ceiling beam here to do that." Morgana told him. Akira sighed and looked at one of the many wooden beams above him, "Gosh... I didn't really expect to be trained this hard..."

"A phantom thief must keep their body in the best condition. You're in charge of yourself, but don't think that I'm not going to whip you into shape."

"Of course, sir..." Akira replied blandly, putting in some plant nutrients into the dying plant. He didn't want to see it so sad, so he'd do his best. Water, light, nutrients. Of course, he wasn't a rich man, so he'd only give it the bio-nutrients every so often.

Akira didn't really have much to do, so he sat down in an empty LeBlanc and read up on the stories he had gotten. It was a breeze for him to read all of A Pirate's Legend. So this was Ryuji's Persona, right? A rebellious pirate that sailed the seas...

"You read that really fast... You're quite a speed reader." Morgana told him

"It's not that hard as long as you process the words. People usually say the words in their minds, but you can actually process the words without doing that." Akira told that. Morgana looked at the pages in awe as he continued. "Also, I'm unsure if it's just me, but this is almost _too_ on-brand for Ryuji..." Akira chuckled after closing the book.

"Well, Personas are supposed to be like that! I wonder what Arsène's origin is like..." Morgana pondered. Akira smiled at him, "Probably completely different from how I am... But it's fine. It shouldn't matter much. I'm sure I'll find my true self while I'm here."

"Time for bed now. Hop to it! Come on!" Morgana mewled at him, Akira yawning and taking his book with him, his shoes creaking against the stairs as he flopped down into his bed.

He caught a seat on the train the next day. Akira quickly read through Yoncha Walker 04. Despite living in the area of Yongen-Jaya for more than a week now. He realized there were... Batting cages? Baseball batting cages? Huh... He knew about the bathhouse, but he didn't know there were batting cages.

"We're getting close to the station, you should put your books away. Get ready to leave." Morgana whispered at him. Akira gently set the book into the bag Morgana was residing in. The days seemed to pass by quickly, but that burning dread and anxiety about Kamoshida stilled remained. They had to fight him, no matter what. Akira kept walking along the road, passing by a fluffy-haired student with a large pink jacket. She looked... familiar. Had he seen her before? Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks, it's been doing that lately...

When he got into class, his phone rang with a barrage of text messages.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|1:14 PM|April 19th|**

**Ryuji:** man we need cash...

 **Ann:** i mean, yeah, but why bring it up now??? 🤏🕶🤨

 **Ryuji:** well i mean we can hella stack up on shit if we got money. meds n weapons n shit bro

 **Ryuji:** we cant actually get it if we dont got dough tho

 **Akira:** Does anybody here have savings??

 **Ryuji:** none dude. dont even ask that question...

 **Ann:** we can get some part-time jobs to help pay??

 **Ryuji:** idk dude... do we hafta??

 **Ryuji:** oh shit

 **Ryuji:** ushimarus lookin at me...

 **Ryuji:** sry gonna drop out of chat for a sec. see ya!!

 **Ann:** do we start praying for ryuji to come out alive or...? 👀

 **Akira:** Yes, yes we do. unless ryuji's already dead...

It was a surprise to see Ryuji alive, despite the red mark growing on his forehead. He had a grumpy expression on his face as Akira scolded him.

"And that's why we shouldn't be texting in class."

"Hey, you were textin' in class also! You were textin' me back!" Ryuji fired back. Akira crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath, "Well, I'm not the person with chalkboard dust in their hair..."

"Dude, I hate you..." Ryuji told him. Akira just smiled back at him.

Ann slapped the back of their necks, Akira flinching at the sudden feeling on his neck shivering at the touch. "Oh my god, you guys are way too extra..."

"H-hey, that was uncalled for! Be nicer to me, I'm getting a part-time job." Akira complained to them, rubbing the back of his neck to wipe away the chills. "I'll help pay for our expenses, don't worry too much about it. But you'll have to chip in also!"

"Wait, really? You're going to get a job? But you just moved here, I feel bad..." Ann says to him. Akira shrugged and started to slowly back away from them. "I need the money anyway, it's not a big deal. If it helps you and me, I'll sacrifice a little bit of time, you know? Anyways, I'm going to see if I can get a job, and we'll meet up back at the school?"

"Sounds good to me! We doin' the Palace today?" Ryuji grinned in excitement. Of course Ryuji would be excited to take down Kamoshida...

"Yup. Make sure you're mentally ready for this because I want to get through this in an _entire day."_ Akira smiled devilishly.

"An entire day?! No breaks?! Zero, nothing?!" Ann asked him completely exasperated at the idea of zero breaks. She would _die._ She would be _dead._ Akira sputtered.

"O-of course we'll be having breaks in between! In the safe rooms; long ones too. I'm bringing refreshments as well, so nothing too big to worry about. I _promise."_ Akira told them. Ryuji sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, alright. I gotcha... See you in a bit there. Land that job!"

"Good luck, Akira!" Ann waved him goodbye as he headed over to the library. Akira threw up a peace sign as he ran down the stairs, his shoes tapping loudly against every single step.

He did everything he needed to do at the school (including raiding all of the vending machines while he had his weird magic vision on so he could see the benefits) and took the train over to Shibuya Station.

He skimmed through the jobs and picked what he thinks he could do. A cashier at a convenience store didn't seem all too hard. He called them up and he almost immediately got the job, he just needed to bring in his resume. Akira was essentially hired as soon as he called. It was a big win, honestly. The money he's saved up might not last him the entire year, and he's always a grinder when it comes to working. Money makes him feel like has some control, even if it's just a little bit.

When he went nack and called a meeting, they all crammed themselves up onto the roof as rain poured down. They stood underneath the awning of the door leading up to the roof as Morgana spoke to them. "I hope that you all understand that our time limit is May 2nd."

"We basically just have to go to that castle and steal the Treasure from Kamoshida, right?"

"But wait, what even is a Treasure? I wanna know that before we do anything. I don't think we've talked about it before..."

"From my understanding, a Treasure is the physical form that somebody's distorted desires take, right?" Akira asked, confirming his definition with Morgana.

"That's right. It's the core of the Palace. Once we steal it, the Palace will crumble... I think." Morgana uttered. "Having said all of that, even I don't know what Kamoshida's Treasure is going to be."

"And how do we find it?"

"There's no way of knowing that until we go in and find out. But if I had to guess, I'd say he has it locked up somewhere in the depths of the Palace." Morgana huffed, looking over to the towering building in front. Ryuji crossed his arms and leaned up against the door.

"Eh, I think I get it now. We just gotta find the Treasure, yeah?"

"Pretty much. There's just a lot we won't know until we go in..." Morgana heavily implied the fact that they needed to be extremely careful. "In any case, our objective is to find the Treasure's location somewhere in the Palace. Make sure we go about this with time to spare so we can avoid any unforeseen circumstances. ...I expect great things from you guys."

"Maybe a bit too much... Remember to be safe when we go in, everyone. We have to remember that we _can_ die here. We're risking our lives... You all understand this, right?"

"I'll risk my life anytime to get this asshole outta this school! Don't even have to ask me." Ryuji told him.

"I refuse to be a victim to him... I won't die. I'll make sure he pays for all of the lives he's taken!" Ann told him. Akira nodded and pulled out his phone, quickly going into the history of the Metaverse Navigator. He looked at Morgana, Ann, and Ryuji, taking in a deep breath. "Alright, we're heading in!"

They all walked inside decked in their outfits. Akira could tell Ryuji was surveying Ann's clothing like a creeper. Akira realized this too, but the red latex really did hug onto her body... Almost too much "Holy hell, but damn..."

"Huh? What is it?"

"N-nothin'!" Ryuji blushed, turning his eyes away from Ann only to look back over to her voluptuous... _Assets._ Akira chuckled nervously at Ryuji, elbowing him in the side purposefully to snap him out of his horny teenage boy stage.

"Eyes on what we're _actually_ here for, Skull." Akira scolded him. Ryuji grumbled, agreeing that it was best to not drag them down.

"All right, let's start fresh and get goin'!" Ryuji cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. Morgana nodded, "It's game time from this point forward. I'll treat you guys the basics of infiltrating a Palace as we go."

Morgana led the group to the castle. Akira was about to follow before he felt a weird piercing sensation stab into his brain. When he looked to his right, a jail door was outside and Justine stood outside of it. It was a menacing blue color. Akira looked back over to the group that was walking away before sighing and stepping into the door.

He arrived with shackles around his wrist and his prison uniform on. He latched his hands onto the bars of his cell as Igor spoke to him. "The prisoner Kurusu Akira has returned!" Caroline announced.

"Well done. It seems you have remembered my words..." Igor told him. "You truly make it worth rehabilitating you."

"What does that mean?" Akira asked him. Igor just chuckled, "I'm not attempting to withhold information from you. The essence of the rehabilitation that you must complete will be explained in due time. Once you encounter allies who share your ideals and discover your place in reality... Only then, will I explain it all."

"I see..."

"Such a day should not be far off." Igor continued. "This time, I wish to introduce you to the aid we are providing."

"Aid...? I-I don't understand what you mean again..."

"Due to your potential in wielding the power of the wild card, you can handle more than one Persona. That power holds infinite possibilities. We will assist you in nurturing that potential."

"B-before we continue... I have a question about that." Akira said to him. "I've been informed that I don't have a true Persona and that the one I had awakened to isn't actually my true self. Is this correct?"

"It is indeed correct. You are a special case. During your rehabilitation, you will also uncover your true self. It will be most interesting. You are an empty shell that is able to take many forms... But your true one is omitted." Igor responded to him. "To reach the end of discovering your true self and your potential, we must _execute_ your Persona."

"W-wha—!"

"Hahaha, do not be alarmed. Personas are personalities that exist within you... Thus, you will only be discarding old personalities to have them be reborn as new ones." Igor told him. He could almost sew the options and display in his mind of what he was going to be doing. "By discarding your old identity, you give way to a new one. Hence, we call that process 'execution'. Think of it as the fusion of your Personas."

He went through the process of choosing his Personas and viewing what it might create. The still didn't exactly know why he could see things like this so in-depth. Akira assumed it was just because of Igor and his odd powers that made him able to do this.

Apparently, wearing different Personas corresponding to the card that his friends are linked to creates a deeper connection. It sort of feels... _Wrong._ He's faking himself, even more, to benefit off of them. He wouldn't mind this before coming here, but now it gave him the creepy crawlies. He wouldn't say no, though. It'll still be beneficial for him in the long-term.

Arsène and Pixie, that's what he chose. He felt an odd part of him drift away when he lent Arsène away. Akira didn't know why he was sad, Arsène isn't even who he truly is. He's simply the Persona he awakened to, nothing more... It still hurt, though.

**_"I am Arsène— The other you who exists within..."_ ** Arsène spoke to him. It was kind and caring. That's right, even though Arsène isn't who he truly is... It's a side of him that does exist. A side that is truly him.  **_"We shall meet again... When your fate reaches its conclusion."_ **

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Arsène. I won't forget you." Akira told him. Arsène with that unending grin and contagious laughter was covered in a blue cloth along with pixie. The guillotine's blade rose up as their necks were shoved in, their body tightly wrapped in rope to keep them from escaping. Akira was shaking. It felt all so wrong to be watching this, but it was all for the betterment of everyone else. Once he convinced himself that the end justifies the means, he stopped shaking.

He watched the blades clamp down onto their necks, two surges of blue and black combining into one individual. It was a blue little thing resting inside of a vase. Or was it a pot...?

**_"Me Agathion."_ ** It spoke. **_ "I'm gonna be your new mask now! Use me, use me, use me!" _ **

Akira laughed, sensing the clear remnants of Pixie inside of him. The calming and relaxed demeanor of Arsène was also inside. It was truly comforting that they weren't _completely_ gone.

It turned into a mask, and he absorbed it into his heart. It was a light feeling, kind, and jumpy. This Persona was definitely something he'd keep for now.

"Ah, how impressive..." Igor complimented him. "A stronger Persona has been born from the body and blood of the old. It shall be your new strength."

"I can feel it too... It's comforting. I feel a lot stronger than I was." Akira tells him. Justine nods, "That feeling will be clearer when you return to the field of battle."

"Gather Personas, and bring them here." Igor tells him with a wicked grin. "Gather a great many, execute them, and continue to give birth to even stronger Personas. Developing your powers as such will play an integral role in the stand against ruin."

"So that your rehabilitation goes well, we have a variety of rituals to choose in regard to execution." Justine speaks to him. Caroline adds ti her sentence, "And depending on the effort you put in, our master might consider further development of new rituals. Cry your tears of joy, Inmate!"

Akira nervously chuckled at the girl before Igor drew his attention once again. "Your heart is steadily gaining the strength of rebellion. It seems your rehabilitation is proceeding smoothly— A joyous fact, indeed..."

"In anticipation of this, I have prepared a gift for you. I hope that you shall accept it."

Akira nodded. Anything to help him through this ungodly and rough time, he'd do it. He had a weird chill go through his spine, feeling new and improved power surge through him. Third Eye... So _that's_ what the weird power was called?

"That is a thief's skill, allowing one to tap into their sixth sense and see what is hidden in the dark. You had a minor version of this when you first awakened, but I have now granted you its full potential. I believe you can handle it now. May you continue devoting yourself to further rehabilitation."

"Of course, sir. Thank you for the gift. I will use it to the best of my ability." Akira thanked the man. Caroline cleared her throat before speaking.

"...Now then, if you have any requests, we will heed them."

Akira browsed through the compendium, finding that he could summon Arsène again with a fee. _What?_ It looks like everything is truly buyable. It's sort of crude that he can summon multiple Personas that are the same, even if it's the Persona he awakened too. He guessed it goes to show how none of them are truly his real Persona. Or maybe it's because he's a wildcard...

He fused his Jack-o-Lantern and Arsène, creating a new Persona that goes by the name of Mandrake. After that, he bid them farewell.

"Go back and enjoy your break!" Caroline instructed him. Akira nodded and closed his eyes, feeling that odd fading feeling. When he came back, he felt his thief garb back on with his friends staring at him in confusion and in worry.

"Something wrong? You were just standing around all of a sudden." Morgana asked him.

_"Oh... So they can't see the door, huh? I guess to them, I sort of just stand still and space out..."_

"Why're you spacin' out like that? It's kinda hard to tell what you're thinkin' sometimes. It's almost worryin'." Ryuji told him. Akira chuckled embarrassedly, his cheeks turning a bit red.

"Oh, I'm fine... Just thinking about how we should go about this. I end up spacing out a lot, so don't mind me..."

"I guess you're a man of high caliber! We're counting in you, Joker!" Morgana jumped up and down. Akira smiled, looking over at the large school.

"So, where do we start?" Ryuji questioned.

"Let's head to the safe room we found last time. It's the first floor of the west building. It's pretty close to our usual entrance. It should be a pretty decent starting point." Morgana said to them, but before they started running to the area he shook his head in disapproval. "Amateurs. We don't have to manually travel like that."

"Huh?" Ryuji chortled quizzically. "What, are you gonna teleport us there or somethin'?"

"Exactly."

"Oh yeah sure, teleport— Wait a second, _what?!"_ Ryuji exclaimed. Morgana smirked and explained how they would travel there.

"Safe rooms are areas where the ruler doesn't have a lot of control over; a gap in cognition. His distortion doesn't reach there." Morgana told them. "Because of this, they can be heavily exploited. With the use of cognition, we can all travel there without moving a single inch!"

"How though? That seems impossible..." Ann told him.

"Well, if a pocket dimension to store our materials exists, then a fast travel method could also work, in theory. Cognition is vast, we shouldn't underestimate it." Akira explained. Morgana nodded, smiling proudly at Akira's explanation, "Now you're really getting it! All we have to do is think about going there, but I think Akira has a better grasp of how to do it. You try it out first!"

"All right, then." Akira said. When he tried thinking about it, his Third Eye activated. It was like a map that could instantly place him in the spots he needed to go. "Hey, are you sure you guys are gonna be okay?"

"It'll be fine. I'll make sure they all get there." Morgana reassured him. Akira nodded before going.

Akira did so in a wave of red and black. He first arrived outside the door, quickly pushing his way inside of it. Akira waited for the rest of them while sitting down in one of the chairs, kicking his feet up onto the table and grabbing one of the water bottles he has out of storage. He uncapped the room temperature water bottle and took a sip, quietly waiting for his friends to come around. Within around 3 minutes, Ann came into the room with a surprised expression, a hand held up to her forehead from the backlash of traveling there.

"Ugh, my head... How are you okay?" Ann groaned at him, looking at how unaffected Akira was from the trip.

"Why do you think I'm drinking water?" Akira pulled out a bottle for her also and extended his hand out.

"Huh..." She mused, sitting down on the table as she took the bottle from his hand. Ryuji came in a second later, pulling the door open quickly and slamming it shut, nearly falling to the ground from the weird mind-blowing skill of teleportation.

"Dude, I feel so gross..." Ryuji gagged, slamming his hands down on the table as Akira slowly slid another bottle of water to him. Morgana came in 30 seconds after Ryuji came in, crossing his arms and looking at all of them.

"You'll all get used to it after experiencing it a few more times. It gets better and soon enough you won't feel anything at all." Morgana told them. Akira just hummed in acknowledgment, capping his water bottle and put his legs down, swishing them above the floor.

"On that note, I have something to give to you." Morgana pocket something out of his pocket to show it off. It shined when he first pulled it out, a unique packaging over it. It was a Stamina Kit S. He put it into their shared storage unit after giving Akira a look at it. "You can only use it in safe places, but when you do, it'll take care of all the exhaustion from our past fights! We'll let you decide when to use it— Just make sure the time's right."

"Thanks, I'll make sure to use it." Akira nodded as Morgana hopped up onto the table, all of them facing each other. Akira examined the kit. How did Morgana get this... Or did he always have it and never told them? Who knows, Akira doesn't really feel the need to ask either.

"As I said before, I want to try to get through the entire Palace today." Akira told them. "We have a long way to go, but doing it in one shot saves us a lot of time for us to do anything we want afterward."

"Hey, you think the Treasure's far?" Ryuji asked.

"Didn't we just get in here? Based on how the castle looks, we still have a long way to go." Morgana explained to them. "Saying you want to get through the entire thing in one go though... You have some guts, don't you?"

"N-no, not really. I just get anxious about due dates... I like to get things done as soon as I can." Akira smiled. He liked making progress and he liked completing things in one go.

"You're the complete opposite from me... I put off all of my work until the last minute if I can." Ann tells him.

"Oh, same here!" Ryuji told her. "I end up stayin' awake until 2 AM playin' games instead of doin' homework."

"I think Joker is just a lot more responsible than all of you..." Morgana grumbled. "That's why he's leading the group. I could also, but Joker is definitely more fit for the job. Your wildcard ability is incredible."

"You're gonna make me blush if you keep saying that..." Akira whispered to them awkwardly, not really sure how he should take the compliment. "We should be heading out if you're all ready to go."

"Yeah, let me just chug this first." Ryuji said, quickly gulping down all of the contents in the bottle. Ann silently judged Ryuji while she capped her own bottle and passed it into her own personal storage space.

"You're gonna need to pee really bad when we leave the Palace..." Ann told him. Ryuji snorted, "How come not while we're in the Palace?"

"Apparently we don't feel the need to sleep, eat, drink, or use the restroom here. We don't feel the need but we can do it anyways." Akira explained.

"I don't think we can die of dehydration or hunger in here, though..." Morgana explained. "So it's essentially just extremely annoying to deal with."

"Am I gonna really be pissin' a lot when I leave? How did it work for you, Mona?"

"I don't wanna hear the answer!" Ann groaned out, plugging her ears at the question. Akira chuckled.

"Let's avoid that for now. Come on, let's get going." He said, pocketing his own bottle before pushing through the door. Morgana told him about some extra items he had on hand and shoved them into the storage.

"We have no idea what awaits us ahead... Here, you'd better take these. These fine tools have my seal of approval! Use them wisely, all right?" Morgana smiled. Akira nodded, making sure to use them only when he needed it. They were short on a lot of things, but he was sure they'd be able to make it.

They made it through the Palace with blinding speed, hopping onto the backs of guards and tearing off their masks. Akira was brutal when it came to holding up shadows, pointing his gun straight at them as he forced them to pay up. The others were even worried on how he could switch up his attitude so fast just to get cash. Maybe it was even a little bit entertaining.

And then Morgana taught them something... A 'Baton Pass'...? Something that can power us up, he guessed.

"Actually, I'll show you what I mean while we deal with this Shadow." Morgana said. Akira sighed, running up to the Shadow and snatched it's mask off. It split it a garbage pile of red and black before materializing as four enemies. "All right, I'll show you an example first. You better watch closely!"

Morgana hit one of the Shadow's weaknesses and it went down in a single hit. "Use this opportunity to Baton Pass and swap your turn with someone else!" Morgana told him, smiling at Akira and holding out his hand. Akira held out his hand also as they both clapped it together, Morgana jumping in the air to hit it. He suddenly felt a surge of strength flow through him. It was weird. He looked back over to Morgana in confusion.

"Now, strike the enemy's weakness and give the Baton Pass a try!" Morgana instructed him. Akira nodded, aiming his gun at a Pixie. He knocked it down and looked over to Ann, who smiled at him and held out her hand. They clapped their hands together energetically, Ann looking pleasantly surprised at the feeling of power.

"It's time to take you down!" She exclaimed, a burst of fire lighting up a Shadow. After she did that, she immediately passed it to Ryuji. He was giddy and excited from the rush of power that flew through his veins. Zero costs for using his Persona's skills. None at all. When he knocked them down, a proud look sprouted up onto his face as they all aimed their gun at the fallen Pixie.

"All-Out Attack!" Akira commanded. They all rushed in, Ryuji bolting in headfirst. It was an accomplishment to see the Pixie splurt out blood, Ryuji almost breaks his neck, and also look so lively at the same time.

"Great teamwork! I knew you guys would nail it." Morgana complimented them.

"That was SO cool! I could _feel_ it. It was also really weird... But it was also cool!" Ann exclaimed energetically. Akira smiled at her, "Well, we'll probably be getting more opportunities like this. Being a team is crucial to surviving like this, so we need to rely on each other!" Morgana nodded.

"By coordinating our efforts, we can take control of the battle as often as possible. Baton Passes will help a lot with that!"

Akira had an innate knack for jewelry. He's worn it for the majority of his life and his father runs a store, so he sort of has to. Akira licked his lips at every opportunity to plunder through vases. Every single obstacle was destroyed by hiding and ambushing all of their enemies.

Akira was getting a workout, and it did well for his body. He was definitely passing out as soon as he got home...

Akira commanded his teammates with tact and grace. They were all flexible, dodging attacks and hitting all of the Shadow's weak points. Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana never expected Akira to be good at these types of things since he's so quiet and mysterious most of the time, but he seemed to let himself go when he was fighting.

Ryuji hated puzzles, which is why he was glad Akira was good at them. They ran into a room with a sectioned off area. Akira quickly worked in his magic with a pull of two switches. Ryuji gaped at him with wide eyes. It was so fast.

"Whoa..." Ryuji gasped out. Morgana smiled at him. He had that bright smile befitting of a proud teacher, "As expected from you, Joker!"

Akira chuckled nervously and walked into the walled-off area to see a map in the center of the table. He picked it up with both of his hands and skimmed over it, the rest of the thieves peeking at it above Akira's head.

"What the hell? He had it all locked up and shit, but it was just some old map...?" Ryuji snorted. Morgana groaned at him, "You're hopeless... Don't you realize how vital a map is? Having this will give us a better grasp of the topography of the Palace."

"It's a true necessity for a phantom thief. This should make securing a route much easier."

"Wait, does it say where the Treasure is on there?" Ann asked Morgana. He frowned, his ears pointed downwards as his tail flopped to the ground.

"Oh... Actually, it seems like this map is incomplete... There might be more of them around."

"M'kay, let's start checkin' what we can. We'll prolly find another map along the way somewhere." Ryuji nodded. Akira pocketed it and they went on their way. The presence of a map really helped Akira and the team on where they'll be going. Of course, there were some tricky parts. Akira didn't expect to be walking along the rafters of the ceiling, but he was. Everything in this place made him do the unthinkable.

When they ran into the next safe room, they all recovered and Ryuji may or may not have taken a quick nap. Akira couldn't complain, taking one himself as soon as he realized Ryuji was dead asleep. He usually didn't let his guard down this much when he was with other people. But even so, he'd keep his trap shut for everything. It's best for nobody to know too much about him. It becomes a weapon.

His Third Eye was even more powerful than he thought. Before Shadows are even revealed, he can determine if they're stronger than him or not. Nobody else seemed to have this ability because they seemed to be going through it without any questions or concerns.

The deeper they went into the Palace, the gloomier it got. It wasn't as dazzling as the original area they were in. The torches lining the wall instead of delightfully gleaming chandeliers screamed this fact.

They ran across another puzzle, which Akira, _again,_ quickly figured out. Ann was unsure if Akira was just extremely intelligent or the rest of them were just _idiots._

"How do you solve them so fast? Like, it's really cool but... _How?"_ Ann asked Akira.

"Ah, well, uh... I just... Do?" Akira smiled. There wasn't really an explanation for it (besides his stupid eye power) other than that he just does it. Ann hummed and pouted her lips, still thinking about it. She didn't press any further.

When they walked into the dining hall there was an atrocious amount of bars. Akira groaned. Even though he could do the puzzles with ease it was still annoying.

"Boy, there are an awful lot of bars in here for being... What looks like a dining room?" Ann said with uncertainty. Morgana nodded and walked around the tables, looking at the food placed on plates.

"Yep, sure looks like it to me. Now, according to the map... There's a path beyond those bars there." Morgana pointed. They all wandered over to the side Morgana was pointing at and peered through the spaces in the bar. Akira wrapped his hands around the metal bars and blew the hair out of his face. Ann sighed annoyedly, "Looks like they're making things tougher for us yet again..."

"Eh, it shouldn't be too bad. Let's just get it done." Ryuji told him. Akira sighed and started pulling on the hooks of the bullheads. Every single time he pulled on one, it opened a new area but it also closed one off. Once Akira got down the mechanics of it, he quickly went through the entire thing. He made an entire list on what switch opened what in his mind. When he finally made it to the end (after getting some pretty nasty and dirty gear from a chest) he pumped his fist in accomplishment.

Every single battle they went into, Akira played a song in his brain. He had so many ideas ever since he's come to this place, but he has no idea when he's going to be able to put them down. He needed to scrounge up money for a laptop, or maybe he could visit someplace...

When they entered a golden encrusted door, they walked into an old and decrepit place. Things were dilapidated and broken down, eroded by the rule of a horrible king.

"Uhhh, I don't think we're goin' any further this way..." Ryuji said to them, glancing at the destruction. Ann spoke up, "Should we check somewhere else?"

"Wait— Look up there!" Morgana pointed. All of their gazes went up to the ceiling of the room. It looked like how the switches from the other puzzles looked, except for the fact that it was golden.

"What about it? Are we throwin' a rope over it and climbin' it?" Ryuji scratched his head. Morgana smiled slyly, "Phantom thieves do things a bit more stylishly than that... And I know just what'll do the trick."

Morgana pulled something out and gave it to him. It was small and it fitted around the glove of his left wrist. Morgana didn't tell him what it was, but he just told him to put it on. It was some kind of strap, and Akira flexed his hand to make sure it was completely secured.

"Good— Seems like it fits properly." Morgana nodded.

"It's nice that you're giving this to me, but... What is this?" Akira questioned. Morgana smirked and put his hands on his hips, acting proud and haughty, "That's just a little something I've been working on in secret. The grappling hook lets you zip to hard-to-reach locations in a flash. You'll see what I'm talking about when you test it out. Go ahead, give it a try."

"A-alright then..." Akira stuttered. He looked over to the golden animal head, it's horns peeking out menacingly as Akira readied himself. He flung his left hand out, a thin string latching onto the head as it propelled him to the staircase. He flipped over the rail and made his landing and looked back at the others. While he was up there, he looked down at the others cheering for him with awe in their faces. Morgana then held up something that they should see, and they gave it to them.

In a split second, the rest of the thieves appeared next to him in a distorted mess, just like when you first enter into the Metaverse. Akira jolted backward, careful to not fall off the stairs.

"L-let me guess... Cognition?" Ann sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. It still made her feel woozy...

"Yup, cognition... Mona gave us these little buttons." Ann showed her the little button wrapped around her left wrist. It was very inconspicuous and you wouldn't be able to see it unless you were close. "They distort cognition. There's still a little bit of thinking to it, but it makes it so when can go to you whenever you pull off your stunts. There apparent a time frame for it. It only works for a little bit after you use your grappling hook."

"It makes traveling a lot faster. It takes a while to master being able to distort cognition, so things like these can help out easier." Morgana said to them, "Of course, I don't need one though. I'm already a master at it."

"'Course you are..." Ryuji mumbled under his breath. "Cat..."

"I am _NOT_ a cat!" Morgana screamed at him before Akira slapped a glove on his mouth and pulled him to the side, peering down the hallway the stairs and hiding away from the guard. The rest of them quickly scrambled to hide away.

"Yo, that guy looks like bad news." Ryuji whispered.

"Yeah, he does look pretty tough..." Morgana agreed. "Not only that, but it seems like he's more aware of his environment than the others. We'd better proceed with caution."

"Caution? It's now or never more like it..." Akira grinned, hiding in the shadows before it got just close enough _and_ —

This may or may not have been a mistake. In fact, it probably was. The red aura around the guard that only he could see was probably a telltale sign, but would he listen to it? _No._ And so a knight on a horse appeared out of the sludge, ready to take their necks and wring it.

They had to try, even if it hurt.

"Garu!" Morgana roared. It was fast. Sharp forms of green wind as thin as paper sliced into the enemy. It attacked with fury.

"Shit—! Panther, move!" Ryuji called out. Ann yelped and dived out of the way before it could land a full blow, but she scarped her leg. Ann groaned in pain, but she got up onto her feet.

"Dammit...! W-whoa!" Ann yelled out again, a huge strike hurling towards her. It was something unexplainable that was three tikes as big as her body. Akira flung his head over to her shocked and terrified face. He could see her darkness creep up onto her face, her sudden realization that she'll die there. Akira grit his teeth. Now or never, now or _never_ —

He kicked up his legs and ran straight towards Ann, bending himself down while thrusting his arms underneath her back and legs and lifted her up as soon as they were secured. They were flung towards the wall from the impact behind them. He impacted onto the floor, a harsh pain tinging into the side of his stomach.

"Aagh—!" Akira cried out when his body hit harshly against the floor. His ears were ringing, a high pitched _tinnggg_ sounding out. His vision was black and blurry as he blinked the haziness away. When he was fully back, he saw Ann's body in his arms, her hair messed up and tangled as it concealed her face. Her mask was tossed over to the side. She wasn't moving.

Akira held in his breath as he quickly checked to her to see that she was breathing. She had a cut on her forehead, but she seemed to be fine. Akira would've sighed in relief, but there were still more things going on.

"Skull!" Akira called out. Ryuji grit his teeth, sweat pooling from his forehead. His hand was up to his mask, a small nervous smile on his face. The fear in his eyes contrasted against the confident expression on his face, but he wouldn't show it. Especially not to Akira

"Already on it...!" He hissed out. _"Captain Kidd!"_

A burst of blue flames surrounded him as he pointed his finger with all his might, his Persona floating behind him as Ryuji clenched onto his mask and let his rage go flying. Akira could almost see the clouds forming above the Shadow. The horse grunted and tried to run away with the knight on it's back, but Ryuji landed the hits with chaotic fury. The sound was booming and loud, the flashes of light were even more impressive. Akira had to squint through it so he wouldn't be blinded by it.

The Shadows screamed and slumped down, trickling with an electric shock. If Akira went close enough he'd feel that tinge of pain.

"You'll pay for what you did to Panther!" Morgana yelled, charging in with his sword. He used Ryuji's back as a jump pad which Ryuji definitely disagreed with, but it did the job. Morgana jumped into the air and came hurdling down with his sword in hand, slashing right through the Shadow. Huge amounts of damage and blood splattered onto the floor. Bits of it covered Morgana's fur.

"Panther... Panther, wake up!" Ryuji called out, running to her and Akira after the deed was done. Morgana quickly followed, looking down onto Ann's slumped body. She was laid on top of Akira's lap with a pained expression on her first. She gurgled and slowly started to open her eyes. Akira let out a sigh of relief. She was dazed, but she was safe.

"Ugh... What happened...?" She asked. A trickle of blood dripped down from a cut on her forehead. She was caught off-guard... This place really was dangerous. Terrifyingly so...

"You passed out after I tried to push you out of the way. I wasn't careful, and I ended up not protecting your head. I'm... I'm sorry." Akira apologized. Ann cleared her throat and slowly pushed herself up. Her legs wobbled when she finally got up and she shook her head, smacking the sides of her cheeks.

"No, it isn't your fault. I got too... Reckless. I should've been more careful." Ann told him. Morgana shuffled over with Ann's mask in his hands, gingerly handing it over to her. She smiled at him and took it into her gloves, sliding them along the smooth surface.

"Thank you, Morgana." She said. Akira sighed in relief, pulling out the water bottle Ann had drank from before. She graciously accepted it and took a sip. As soon as she did, the cut on her forehead... Disappeared. And so did the blood. It was almost as if time had reversed and it got sucked back into her.

Akira thought he understood the Metaverse, but as time goes on in this place he realizes that he really _doesn't._ Not only that, but the blood on Morgana from killing the Shadow also disappeared into thin air. Akira blinked with a confused and faded expression.

"Are... Are injuries in this place supposed to do that...?"

"Of course it's supposed to! I'd be freaking out already if it wasn't. Injuries are truly sustained when you're caught off guard. On other occasions, you'll just get sore in the spot Shadows hit you." Morgana informed. "But you'll usually be caught off guard every single time. It's hard to predict every single thing your enemy is going to do."

"Just, don't die on me or nothin'..." Ryuji shivered. Akira stood up and brushed himself off. Ann stretched and looked over to the once broken floor that had been magically repaired. The Metaverse... They'd never truly be able to know what it is.

"I won't be dying. Not until I see this to the end." She said seriously.

"If you want to see it to the end, we have to continue. Come on— We have to keep moving." Akira told them.

Akira wanted to keep hope, but after that encounter it truly hit them. If they didn't succeed, it's assumed that they're dead. This place is a hellscape where blood and violence existed. Nobody was safe from it. It could happen to Ryuji, it could happen to Morgana, it could happen to _him._ That's when Akira made the conscious decision and effort that nobody would let him say out loud.

_"If I had to trade my life for yours, I'd do it."_

After crossing that area, the Palace lit up more brightly. There were bookstands scattered around the entire place with extremely weird names. Ryuji read of the name titles. "'Muscle Glory'... 'Macho Muscles'... God, everything here's all about being ripped. That guy's totally in love with his muscles..."

"...Gross." Ann gagged, still perusing the names on the book bindings.

"Extremely..." Akira muttered as they walked into a new safe room. They checked up on all of their wounds. Even though they were okay after the insane fight where Ann got completely knocked down, they still wanted to be sure.

Takemi-san's medicine was more than useful. Akira popped a single pill in his mouth and he was already feeling the effects of strength and health. "W-whoa... I can't believe these actually work..."

"I told you they would! Medicine like that is a lifesaver in the Metaverse. A single pill can save you from death." Morgana meowed. Akira took a handful of pills in his hand and inspected them. They were made quite skillfully. Takemi-san made her own medicine so he thought they wouldn't be this high-quality, but it was almost stunning at how effective they are.

"They... Could you overdose in the Metaverse if you take too much?" Akira asked. Morgana was stunned by the question and thought about it. He hadn't really thought about it.

"I don't think you can. I've taken a lot of medicine in one sitting, I'm pretty sure. That's a pretty good question, though..." Morgana said. Akira put the pills back in his pocket, "Well, I know that there aren't any more ways to die other than physical injuries."

It took so much brainpower to keep going through the Palace. It hurt his brain, almost. But he did it anyway. Maybe he shouldn't do the Palace run in an entire day, but he wouldn't admit it until after he was done. He was too prideful and stubborn to say that they probably shouldn't do what he did next time. They also found another book along the way, but he didn't do much with the information.

They wandered into a library. It seems they were looking for books of some kind. Morgana said that libraries always have sort of secret to them as they do in movies, so they looked around.

"Let's see... 'The History of Kamoshida'... 'Tracing Kamoshida's Steps'... 'Kamoshida's Heroism'... 'Kamoshida's Law'?" Ryuji listed, his voice rising at the last one. He was appalled. "What the hell? All these goddamn books're about Kamoshida!"

"That reminds me, we found a few books earlier, didn't we?" Morgana looked over to Akira. He nodded, going into his pocket and pulling out two books.

"Yeah, they're right here. None of them seem to fit inside of the space here, though..." Akira muttered, holding up the books and eyeing the width of them. They didn't seem big enough to squeeze in perfectly.

"We can come back to it later, then." Morgana meowed. Akira raided the books in the library. There was almost something off about the books he collected in his hands.

"This one looks like it fits. 'The King's Book.'" Akira slid the book into the open space and it fit perfectly into it. He got chills up his spine when it fit in satisfyingly.

When they moved onto the next space, the books surrounding it were really random; Ann had pointed it out. "There are all sorts of books here... The titles don't have any rhyme or reason to them. Huh? This book... Has Shiho's name in the title..."

Akira flinched. Oh no, this couldn't be what he was thinking...

"Wait... It's not just this one! All of the books here are about female students!" Ann gasped, stating his worst nightmare to his ears. Ryuji continued the sentiment, "'Takamaki Ann: The Charming Doll.' Holy shit..."

"What the heck is this?!" Ann growled. He didn't say anything and instead quietly inserted 'The Queen Book' into the space. To his grief, it clicked perfectly. He bit his lip.

"Let's just keep going." Akira told them, turning away from the bookshelf. They went to the next bookshelf on the other wall.

"These're the names of the volleyball team members!" Ryuji shouted, skimming over every name. "Wait, what the hell! All of the titles are boys from our school!"

"'Sakamoto Ryuji: The Vulgar Ape.' There's one here for Skull." Morgana told him, pulling the book out a little and pushing it back in.

"That bastard! Who the hell does he think he is?!" Ryuji shouted. Akira skimmed over and found his. He flinched at the name and sadly told the rest of them, "...Hey, I think I found mine..."

"...'Kurusu Akira: The Delinquent Slut'... Asshole, he won't get away with this." Ann hissed. Akira sighed and looked away from the book, "It's better if we not stay on the subject. Let's keep heading out."

Akira ran back to the dubbed 'muscle bookshelf' and shoved in 'The Beefcake Book.' Akira smacked his fist into it, but it didn't go in. Visible confusion spread across his face.

"Huh? Izzat one no good there?" Ryuji asked as Akira backed away from the book.

"Maybe there's something stuck in that spot? Why don't you try reaching in there, Skull?" Ann told him. Ryuji pulled the book out and reached his arm into the hole. You could see the surprise form in Ryuji's face when he felt something brush along his fingers.

"Huh! There IS somethin' in here! ...There we go." Ryuji said, pulling his arm back out with something that now sat in his hand. "Oh, sweet. Here, you can have it."

Ryuji passed Akira what he had in his hand and shoved the book into the open space. It went in smoothly now that he took out the protein sitting behind the shelf. Akira almost snorted when he saw the small bottle of protein dumped into his hand. The muscle bookshelf with a beefcake book...

"No secret switches in the bookshelf, but we did get something out of it... I'd still call that a win!" Morgana smiled.

"B-but seriously... Who would have a bookshelf like this? Cognition is weird..." Akira chuckled to himself tiredly, putting the protein in his pocket.

The last book 'The Slave Book' went into where the names of male students were listed. It fitted into it and clicked. He almost felt bad that he had to take on the mindset of what Kamoshida probably thought about all the students at the school for this puzzle, but it worked, so...

One of the bookshelves caved in on itself and revealed a hidden passageway behind them.

"Whoa, it opened up?!" Ryuji said, flinging his head over at the room. If was filled with candles. Morgana was all smiles, "You got it, Joker! Let's take a look inside!"

Akira walked into it and realized the small pieces of paper on the wall were actually pictures... Of Shiho. It was like a shine dedicated to her. It was already creepy, but this passed the line.

"Ugh... The hell is this room? There're tons of pictures of Suzui in here!" Ryuji cringed. "Wait... It's _all_ pics of her?"

Ann frowned, biting her lip with rage in her eyes. Akira looked back over to the images, seeing a single picture in the corner of the room that wasn't of Shiho.

"Are you going to be okay, Panther?"

"Yeah... Thanks." Ann said, looking over at the wall plastered with pictures before continuing. "If anything... I feel even more motivated to do this now."

"I know it'll feel awful, but we should search this room." Morgana sighed at them. He didn't feel good about it either, but it was necessary. "There has to be something in here if he was hiding it with such an elaborate trick."

What they found was... A medal. Kamoshida's medal, to be exact. It shined brightly but they all knew the sinister things that sprouted out from this damn thing. _Entitlement._

"That size... That shape... I think that's our key! Remember that round indentation we saw back near those bars?" Morgana told them. Akira nodded and put the medal in his pocket as Ann picked up the paper underneath the medal. "Oh! It's a different map from the one we have! This is lucky... Let's take it with us!"

"Aha! Our map's complete now!"

"So is it gonna tell us where the Treasure is?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Morgana skimmed through it and smiled, "Yeah, look. It has to be here..."

 _"That's_ a weird-shaped building... Could it be a tower or something?"

"It seems so. It looks like we're around... H-halfway there?" Akira laughed nervously. This place was bigger than he thought...

"All right! Let's hurry over there!" Ryuji said as Akira shoved the map away. There was still a long way to go, but he'd be sure to make it there. As soon as they turned around to head back, a guard came running into the area.

"...Hm? Hey! What are you doing?!" The guard shouted running over to them. Akira bit his lip and pulled out his knife.

"Dammit! Of course they spot us now..." Morgana said, pulling out his sword. Ryuji quickly joined in on it, a heavy mace in his hands, "If we wanna head back, we'll hafta go through this guy... Time to make a path!"

Halfway to go, an eternity to deal with...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somebody said i use "asked" and "said" a lot and i was like "hmm, do I...?" So I did ctrl+f on all of my chapters and JESUS CHRIST THEY WERE RIGHT,,, so that's a great thing to look back onto when editing my chapters!! You'll see a lack of "asked" and "said" from here on out.
> 
> Also!! I edited the previous chapters a bit to my liking.


	10. Chapter 8: This Is Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going through a Palace with the stubbornness of a mule and also having the goal to do it in one go is a stupid decision. But hey, that's just how phantom thieves roll. (Possibly...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> most people wanna know if this story is just an angst fest and it's a YES and also a NO. As a Korean person this just serves as more of a critique on Asian culture in general, but with the problems and instability dialed up to 11 just for one person _(cough cough AKIRA)._

What kind of Shadows explode? These ones, apparently.

Ryuji shouted out loud after landing the first hit on the Shadow, "Oh, _shit!"_ Its eyes sparked with rage. Akira usually saw that the Shadows didn't have any pinpointed ill intentions and they just attacked any intruder. They didn't prioritize any of them. But this one? It headed _straight_ for Ryuji, with all of its fury packed in one ram.

Ryuji jumped out of the way, his shoes slid against the floor as it's horn dove into the ground below and broke it into small pieces. Ryuji grit his teeth as the dust lifted and covered the beast's coat black coat. From the white concrete powder, vicious red eyes peered straight over at Ryuji. He whimpered and his hand coiled around the handle of his bat. He was getting used to gripping onto things with gloves but, _man,_ it still felt weird. "What the _hell!?_ Why is this one so, I dunno—"

"Menacing?" Akira finished his sentence and clenched onto his knife as the other Shadows started to look more angered than usual. Akira could see the huffs and puffs of hot air escaping their noses.

"It started moving after we attacked it… Looks like it's exactly what I expected," Morgana explained before he grinned at the Shadows. "Once we take it down— Hey, you two! Watch this!"

Morgana charged in, his sword as light as a feather in his paws. He leaped towards the Shadow, slammed his sword straight through, and landed the final hit.

But the Shadow didn't die in a flurry of goop. No, it started flashing colors, started to distort and pop out with irregular movements. Morgana quickly started to run back over and yelled to them, "Run from the Shadow! Move, move, _move!"_

Akira hiccuped, kicked his feet up, and ran away. Ann and Ryuji turned tail also and stopped when they thought they were far enough. From the corner of their eyes, they watched the Shadow turn into a black ball before it burst out, winds of purple, pink, and blue slashed through its fellow Shadows. Akira squealed when the wind almost pushed him down, but he dug his heels into the ground and found his balance.

All that was left of the angered Shadow were scattered coins, bills, and their injured creature comrades. Akira breathed heavily and turned over to Morgana's smug face. "W-what exactly… was that?"

"I'll explain later! Focus on the battle for now!" Akira whined at Morgana's answer and dove into the battle, his shoes kicking up dust and dirt. He was fast, quickly launching himself onto one of the Shadows with his knife. The beast tried to jump back, but Akira predicted this. He made one step, and then another. He dove his knife straight through its neck and it sliced off like butter. Minimal amounts of blood decorated his knife as its body quickly disintegrated into a mess before disappearing completely.

"Panther!" Akira yelled out to her, looking behind him to already see the girl charging in with her whip trailing behind her. She didn't falter although she was running with her heels on and leaped through the air while spewing out a confirmation, "I'm already on it!"

She raised her right arm behind her before slamming it down _hard._ The Shadow split in half. It didn't even bleed before it disappeared, it just instantly faded as soon as the whip cut through her.

 _"Holy heck…"_ Akira thought, staring at Ann as she started to stretch her arms with a neutral face. She noticed Akira's surprised expression, smiled brightly, and shot a peace sign out to him. Akira quickly changed his expression, gave her a strained smile, and waved back at her awkwardly. _"Yeah, definitely scary…"_

Akira heard that weird sound whenever Shadows sploosh out of their masked forms, turning back to see another set of them. Ryuji grumbled, "Shit, there's more of 'em!" Ann and Akira backed up slowly, reaching the area Morgana and Ryuji were at. Akira's grip tightened and softened, tightened, and softened…

"What the hell, more of them…!? I thought that was it! There's another weird Shadow…" Ann hissed out to them. Morgana looked over to her red mask before staring back at the Shadow in the middle of the group.

"There's another one like from earlier… Haphazard attacks on it will only make things tougher for us. It's probably best to take it down fast by striking its weaknesses and getting it to blow up," Morgana instructed them. Akira's eyes trailed over the Bicorn, running over what would be the best for them to do. Akira was looking straight at its neck.

"Alternately, we could put it to sleep or make it unable to move, then just deal with it later. But I feel like you don't want to do that, do you, Joker?" Morgana asked him, looking over at Akira's eyes.

"We're gunning for the Shadow! Do as much damage as you can and watch out for its attacks!" Akira commanded them and pulled out his gun. The Shadows had no rhyme or reason as it bolted straight over to them without a second to think. Akira pulled his gun out and pulled the trigger, missing shot after shot as the Bicorn galloped from side to side.

 _"You won't be able to dodge just me!"_ Akira thought as Ann took out her own gun and started tracing the path of the Shadow Akira was locked onto. She held down the trigger and bullet after bullet plummeted to the ground. It was a fortunate thing that her gun wasn't the most accurate because the Bicorn couldn't predict the shots.

But from the corner of Akira's eye, something was coming towards them fast, their head leaned down and horns protruding out. Akira swiftly turned his entire body around and pointed his gun at the Shadow and clicked on the trigger, hearing nothing come out. Akira's eyes widened in fear. _He ran out of bullets!_

"AH—!" Akira squeaked out and tried to pull his knife out in time before he got rammed into the ground. He was so concentrated on the off-colored Shadow that he forgot about the others—!

"Don't even think about it!"

The Bicorn screeched in pain, falling onto the ground. A lightning bolt struck it straight onto the ground and Ryuji pumped his fist in success. Ann quickly followed up by turning around, adding a bullet to the mix. The Shadow was put out of its misery and turned into slop.

The strategy failed as soon as one of them was struck down and they grouped back up again. Morgana grinned, an evil glint in his eyes. "Don't think you'll get away with trying to take down Joker! _Zorro!"_

_"Captain Kidd!"_

Ryuji and Morgana let out an efficient burst of energy headed straight towards them. It was already _terrifying_ to witness it from the outside, a _ginormous_ blast occurring as both of their attacks combined into a mesh of wind and electricity. He could only imagine what it'd be like to be inside of it. Akira was flung back from the blast a bit, his back hitting against the bookshelf, making it sore and painful.

Just when Akira thought it was over he remembered that when the weird Shadow dies, _it explodes also._ So then followed up a second explosion that caught _all of them_ off guard. Akira screamed and covered himself with his arms, debris, and books flying past him as his coattails lifted. Akira breathed heavily, looking at the scattered pieces of money that were mostly in a singular pile.

"That was… that was really odd…" Akira commented, bending down to pick the money up. Ryuji crossed his arms and groaned out. "It isn't even close to 'odd', it was 'effin nuts…"

Ann stared at the pieces of ground that were completely torn-up magically piece back together, filling up the cracks until it was at its former state. Not only that, but all of the books on the walls were being carried up and back to their original positions. It really was like some sort of magic…

"We keep underestimating this place. We should really stop doing that… It'll get us killed if we do," Ann said, picking up a small piece of yen and shoving it into the storage. "Anyways, that Shadow was really intense! What are those?"

"I call them Disaster Shadows," Morgana informed. Ryuji scoffed, "That's an oddly fittin' name…"

"A-as long as we handle those Shadows, I'm pretty sure we'll be fine!" Akira smiled at them. They all nodded and gave each other a pat on the back, ready to head into the next obstacle that stands in their way.

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

After they rested themselves up, they arrived in… a chapel? Or so it seemed. From a glance, it looked fancy with beautiful stained glass and greenery decorating the walls.

"This place is huge… yet there are no guards! That seems suspicious…" Morgana muttered out and stopped all of them from going further into the area.

"I've played enough video games to know what this place is." Ryuji grinned and continued talking, "It's prolly a secret boss fight! There's gotta be somethin' cool around here!" Morgana peered his head deeper into the chapel and crossed his arms, then turned back to reply to Ryuji.

"I guess that's true… but we should make sure we're ready for whatever might come up then," They both nodded at each other knowingly and Ann sighed with an exasperated expression. "I can't believe video game logic is coming into play here…"

"I-I don't even know what that logic is… I'd say I'm ready, though! I think…"

"Yeah, I could say the same too, Joker," Ann replied. "Well, let's get started."

She took the lead, her heels clicking against the ground as they strutted into the middle of the chapel. This place was gorgeous… too bad it was spent on a disgusting person.

Kamoshida's statue was down the red-carpet aisle, his face plastered into the minds of everyone who came to worship. He wore a fancy cape, his hand held high to show that he was the king. The king? No… _Kamoshida was their god._

Akira could see how the chapel faded from Shujin's gymnasium and back again.

"Wait, was that… the gym?" Ann questioned. Akira shuddered. Of course this place would be the gym in reality…

"I got it… The gym's some kinda holy place for him. He's a god there." Ryuji growled out, his eyelids twitching from rage. He hated looking at his damn face. The face that looked at him as if he were _trash…_

"I can't believe he can even think like that… especially after what he did to Joker and Shiho…" Ann seethed through clenched teeth.

"Y-yeah, I'm feeling… Um, p-pretty gross right now…" Akira admitted, rubbing his arms with his hands to get rid of the continuous chills going up against his spine. "I-is it okay if we leave…?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell outta here… I'm done lookin' at this bastard's face." Ryuji fumed and started to walk in the opposite direction of the statue. Akira nodded, following close behind him. Ann rubbed his back as they started to leave… until they couldn't.

"I see… So you're the ones who tampered with the library. It seems my time waiting here has paid off…" The Shadow appeared from nothing, spawning into life with golden armor right in front of them. Akira quickly pulled out his knife and got into an offensive stance. The rest of the thieves quickly pulled out their weapons and stared up at the large suit of armor speaking to them.

"Just as that ape there said, this place is a holy ground for our great King Kamoshida," the guard captain reprimanded. "It is preposterous for miscreants like yourselves to come waltzing in like this!"

It quickly dissolved into a puddle that meshed together into a Shadow. It was huge. Large red wings with a hefty sword, chainmail armor, and the aura of a menacing beast… Akira pushed down the whimper that tried to escape his mouth, as well as the trembling in his hands. He didn't hide it that well, since Morgana seemed to catch sight of it.

"You will pay for foolishly defying King Kamoshida… with your lives!" The heavenly beast raged to them.

"We'll be fine, just stay coordinated!" Morgana called out to them, but it was mostly to keep Akira calm. He swallowed his saliva, held his knife up, bent his knees, and protected his body. Stop being a wimp, _Akira._ He wasn't going to be the fault for killing his friends… it wasn't going to be on him.

The heavenly punisher surrounded itself with an aura of red. Akira could feel it in his body. Every instinct was telling him to run but his feet stayed planted on the ground. He wasn't going to run away. Even if it hurt, even if he didn't feel very good about it… No more running away. The Shadow seemed to be even stronger after what he did.

"Look! He's trying to do something!" Morgana called out to them. They were also extremely worried about Akira. Both of them could feel the fearful energy sapping away, but it didn't mind them. They didn't expect Akira to be okay after everything, even if he told them he was fine. "Guard yourself if you think you're in danger!"

Akira immediately shielded himself from the attack, trying to push through his fear to shout out commands. He crossed his arms over each other and jumped far away from the Shadow in an attempt to avoid any attack that would come his way.

"E-everybody! Protect yourself on this one!" Akira shouted out to them. Ryuji immediately toughened himself up and prepared to either try and dodge or take the hit. Everybody else did so as well. When the Shadow aimed straight for Ryuji and its sword flashed right down onto him, his forehead started to seep with blood. His body felt sore, but he felt okay.

"Shiiittt, that hurt…" Ryuji groaned out in pain as the blood-stained his skin, but he was still smiling, "I'll be okay though! We can do this!"

Ann added to his statement, "We'll be fine, Akira! You need to get through this or we won't be able to get through this! You can do it!"

"I-I know! We don't know anything about this Shadow! Just keep throwing out attacks until something works!" Akira yelled out to them, reaching up for his mask and letting out his Persona. "Agathion! _Ravage them!"_

A sharp, gust of wind simulated the feeling of a sword being slashed, but he couldn't see it. The only indicator that showed him being hit was the grunt of pain and the trickle of blood flowing down its shoulder.

They tried everything. Their sweat mixed in with their blood. Every single Garu, every single Eiha, every single Zio and Dia… It felt like it did nothing against this Shadow. Maybe it was just what Akira was feeling because the rest of them looked as determined as ever.

"Incoming!" Ryuji shouted out. The Shadow's sword came bolting towards him. Akira forced his legs to move, diving onto the ground to avoid its attack. It completely shattered the pew next to him as well as the ground. Small pieces of wood scattered the ground like thumbtacks. _Bad,_ if he were to fall on those next time he'd be screwed. They looked like cactus needles. Akira's hands trembled, clenching his fists as he pulled himself up.

"Pull out your guns!" Akira turned his head over to his group and yelled at them, pulling out his handgun before emptying his entire cartridge on the Shadow. Ann, with her SMG, Ryuji with his shotgun, and Morgana with his slingshot. They unleashed their fury on it. They could see all of the bullet holes going straight through their body.

Akira kept trying to shoot more pellets into it, but it was already done. The Shadow gurgled, but its form was still oddly alive. It grasped onto the ground with a heavy thump of his hand and made the entire room shake.

"King Kamoshida will beat you! Filthy thieves like you will never make it far!" It screamed out loud. Akira's ears rang. It was almost like they were a banshee. As soon as it finished their sentence, their already dissolving body had finally melted away. Akira breathed heavily, his ribs ached and his knees were starting to creak.

" _Hahh… Ahhh…_ Didn't realize those things could be that tough…" Ryuji panted out sentences during his heavy breaths and pulled his mask above his head before he wiped off the sweat and blood from his injuries.

"Y-yeah… It looks like he's making a concerted effort to stop us now. I don't have anything else to teach you, and I don’t think we have much time either. I'll compile the information for you guys later." Morgana sighed out. Akira still couldn't calm his breathing down as he spoke to them.

"U-ugh, I feel gross right now… Let's just leave as soon as possible, please…" Akira groaned out, putting a hand over his stomach to calm the gross feeling he felt everywhere. But that sickness doubled as soon as he felt the presence of four other guards surrounding him. They encased them. Akira almost wanted to cry from how desperate he felt. Home, he wanted to go home…

 _"Huh? When did I start calling Leblanc my home…?"_ Akira thought as he clenched onto his knife. He kept down his gag reflex by taking quick and deep breaths. 

"Crap… More of 'em…!" Ryuji gasped out. Akira was trying to think of _any_ plausible way they could get out of this, but he just _couldn't._ They were exhausted, injured, and surrounded. Was this really the end?

"What should we do?! Do we head back?" Ann asked them. Morgana shook his head and kept his sword straight and steady.

"No, the Treasure is definitely up ahead, and there has to be a path to it somewhere…!"

"T-then where… Wait—!" Akira called out, his eyes landing on the perfect spot. Right on Kamoshida's statue. He could imagine it; the line from his left wrist flying out and latching onto Kamoshida's hand. They all looked over to him, knowing what was coming next, their left wrists pressed close to themselves.

Akira swiftly pushed it out as the guards started to close in on them. He kicked his feet up high to make a landing, and before he knew it the rest of his teammates were with him.

"T-that was… That was a close call…" Akira panted, crouching down and huddling his knees close to his body. Jeez, he was _exhausted…_

"Good going, Joker! That was some expert grappling you just did. You saved all of us back there." Morgana complimented him while rubbing his back. Akira threw a tired smile back at him. "T-thanks…"

Morgana looked all around them and also looked down to see the anger of the guards as they dispersed, probably to warn their lackeys. "Now we can investigate this area. Let's get to it when you're done resting up."

"N-no, I'm fine. Just a bit tired, is all." Akira assured with a faint smile, pulling out a water bottle and chugging all of its contents before shoving it back into his pocket. "Let's hurry out."

The upper area was thin, narrow, and quite linear. When they jumped down and entered a door below, he knew that they were back to their usual business. There were a lot of odd places they needed to jump and climb, but they made it through with ease. Akira could feel the tiredness seeping out of everyone, though. The next safe room they enter, he'll be taking a long nap…

They ended up on the opposite side of another balcony. It looked promising and unnerving. Ryuji shared this sentiment. "There's definitely something fishy over there. There're vines growin' on the door too." Morgana nodded.

"Yeah. By the looks of it, no one's been here for a long time." Akira's eyes locked onto what was above the other balcony; an animal head with a hook. Ann stretched her arms out and looked over to Akira and already guessed at what would happen next.

"Well, we're just going to have to find out…" Akira backed up a little bit, flinging his grapple onto the hook as it propelled him further, flipping in the air as he made his landing.

When they all appeared, they all walked close to the door. Then… Akira started hearing voices. They were scrambled up and distorted, but he knew what they were saying. It was Kamoshida's voice, saying things that others shouldn't ever hear. Saying things that he didn't want to hear. Laughter and groans mixed in with gaps and a drunken voice.

Akira took a deep breath and chopped down the vines with his knife, slicing through them languidly instead of just tearing them apart. Ann looked at him with a restless expression and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Joker, you don't have to go in…" she told him. Akira shook his head. "No, I want to see what he really thinks about me. I… I have to get over this somehow."

He pushed open the doors, revealing a dark room. The voices got even stronger and Akira started gnawing at his lip.

**_"Shake it for me, Suzui. Just get your ass over here already."_ ** It was all so horrible to hear. All of the others looked visibly uncomfortable and angered.

"This room feels gross to be inside of. It looks a lot different from the others. Not only that but there's those… creepy voices." Ann shuddered.

"Yeah, and there's something super suspicious over there…"

"That's…!" Morgana shouted in excitement, looking straight at what was in front of them. Ryuji gave Morgana "the look" as he waltzed over to whatever was sitting on top of an odd pedestal. "C'mon, follow me!"

Something was sitting on top of a red and black spiral, curving and dripping with an odd essence none of them could explain. The closer he got to it, the worse he felt.

Ann circled it over and over again with a finger on her chin. She was in dismay that something like this even _exists._ "What _is_ this?" It looked to be some kind of skull, but it was way too brown and way too small to be a human's head. Ugh, she didn't even want to entertain the thought that she was gawking at a dead person's head…

"Just what I thought… A 'Will Seed'." Morgana cackled and rubbed his paws together mischievously. He looked incredibly happy to be in the presence of this horrendous thing that shoved off-putting vibes.

"A… A Will Seed? You know what this is, Mona?" Akira asked.

"Palaces are locations that grew distorted from their original forms due to their ruler's cognitions. When such distortions coalesce into form, this is the result— I call it a 'Will Seed'."

"Distortions… coalesce… into Will Seeds…"

Akira could see Ryuji's brain malfunctioning right in front of him. The wires were there but they just weren't connecting…

"Should I try explaining that again?" Morgana grilled him. Ryuji sputtered, crossing his arms in a sign of defeat, "Ah, ugh, _urgghh—_ Just forget it! That's a Will Seed! Movin' on…"

"So, what do we do with it?"

Morgana quickly responded back to Ann.

"We take it. It may not be as prized as a Treasure, but it's still quite the rare find. Making it ours will only do us good… I think."

"Again with the 'I think' phrase… Is it really okay to take— _Joker!"_ Ann shouted out as Akira already yanked the Will Seed into his possession. It kind of looked like a potato.

"Well, um… Nothing happened at least?" Akira smiled at them, quickly pocketing it. Ryuji groaned at him. "Dude, if I got cursed 'cause of this thing, I'd be so done…"

"Now that we know it's safe, we can go and find the rest of them! There should be some more around the area… As far as I can tell, there are two of them left," meowed Morgana.

"Huh? How can you tell? You smell 'em or somethin'?" Ryuji asked him. Ann nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, like how dogs can— Oh, but you're a cat."

"I am _NOT_ a cat!" Morgana yelled at them, jumping up and down while throwing a tantrum like a toddler. Akira chuckled nervously.

"L-let's just get going…"

They all walked out with a bitter and sour-faced Morgana. "I just seem like a cat…"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira got some more Personas into his mask by using gentle words and a persuasive manner. A Cait Sith and a Silky joined his ranks as they kept flying through the castle with grace (not really).

They ran into an extremely guarded area. All of the soldiers were an odd mix of red and silver. It told him that this would be hard, but he had to find a way somehow.

 _"Up there!"_ Akira grunted, flinging his hand upwards. The cable latched onto the hook and pulled his entire body up quickly. He flew across the sky, his coattails flapping behind him. He quickly flipped himself to soften his landing and rolled against the floor on the other side. Akira's friends appeared behind him a few seconds after he landed.

"You look cool with that grappling hook! Especially with all of those fancy flips and tricks…" Ann told him. Akira scratched the back of his head and disregarded her words of praise, continuing with their mission.

Walking along the rooftop of the castle and sliding his feet against the cracks of the walls made him feel like a thief. It was invigorating, but it also felt like he was doing something wrong. That he was some sort of alley cat looking for his next meal…

"The way this place was constructed… It's horrendous to look at…!" Akira complained. Ryuji whistled at what he said, amused and impressed.

"That's the first time I've heard you say you actually _dislike_ something."

"T-the layout of this castle just makes me feel unreasonably angry…" Akira muttered out before crawling through a vent.

After they crawled out, they found themselves on the outside of the castle yet again, but this time, he saw small areas that he could grapple onto. The team kept getting higher and higher up into the air until they reached a window. Inside was a door covered in vines.

"Nobody's here, for once…" Akira sighed out in relief and quickly chopped down the barricade. Akira wasted no time in snatching it and jumping back down to where they were before.

When they entered through the door, the room was…. _shifting?_ Not as in he could see the room turn from their reality into the Palace, the room was _moving._

"Wh-what's going on?!"

"The distortion is getting stronger… The Treasure has _got_ to be nearby!" Morgana responded to Ann and treaded carefully against the ground. The room was mismatched with varying floor levels. None of it made sense. Akira blew the hair out of his eyes and passed it by. These things probably had some significance to the Palace's workings, but it didn't matter then.

"W-what's this…?" Ann pointed towards their right. They all peered into the room where statues of headless women rested in the four corners of the contraption. They accentuated their breasts and butts, but nothing else mattered. 

"The hell? Is this some kinda trap?!" Ryuji said, walking into the room and staring at the statues. Akira shrugged, walking into the middle of the elevator-like machine. There was a switch at the back of it and he gestured for the others to head in.

"There's probably a hidden room. We should check instead of leaving it unknown." Morgana said as Akira pulled the switch down. They felt themselves juggle as the elevator pulled them down into the floor, passing by the cracks and bricks of the wall. Now, the question was;

"H-hey, where are we?" Ryuji asked them. Akira couldn't answer, he knew just as much as him. They all looked over to Morgana. He sighed and crossed his arms, his tail slapping against Ryuji's leg.

"Just because I'm an _expert_ it doesn't mean I'll always know what's going to happen. I wouldn't be a thief if I always knew every outcome." Morgana mewled at them, raising his head high and walking away from all of them, posh and stuck up. That's Morgana, all right…

They walked down the stairs (and may or may not have ransacked it for its valuables) and came across… _what?_ What _was_ this?!

"What the heck…? This is disgusting…" Ann cringed. Akira could say it any better than Ann. It _was_ disgusting. In front of them was a highly-detailed painting of "King Kamoshida" in all of his glory, smiling proudly with sparkles flying everywhere. Despite the decrepit and gloomy atmosphere of the Palace, this painting conveyed the complete opposite. What was this, a _joke?_

"It looks like the cover for a shoujo manga…"

Ann snorted at Ryuji, "I think that's one of the best descriptions I've ever heard of… and the grossest. It's stupid how detailed this is…"

"Would it even be the cover of a shoujo manga then? It'd be more like an exclusive print—"

 _"AHEM—!"_ Morgana cut them off. "Either way… It's kind of strange that this would be our dead end." Morgana crossed his arms, inspecting every stroke of the painting.

Ann and Ryuji stared at the painting and completely ignored Morgana, continuing their conversation about the piece of work like some sort of expert critic… Akira pouted at them and flicked his head back to the painting, placing both of his hands onto the canvas of the painting roughly. He felt it budge back a little bit before snapping forward again and he quickly put his hands off of it in fear he activated some sort of trap, but nothing happened. His shoulders slouched but he was still wondering. _"Huh…?"_

Akira had a clear look of confusion on his face and he turned to Morgana to see if he noticed this, but he seemed as blissfully unaware as the rest of them.

Akira wearily both of his hands on it and _shoved,_ yelping as he fell straight forward and landed on the other side of the frame, landing upside-down with his legs above him. His heeled boots were pointed straight up and the air and he hissed at the harsh impact.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, _ow…"_ Rolling on his side to get back onto his feet wasn't that hard, but he felt that disruptive aching sensation in his lower back… he dusted off his pants and turned back just in time to see the others leaping from the other side tactfully after seeing Akira. Akira turned back to the area around them. Red carpet, chandeliers, patterned flooring, marble pillars… _wait…!_

"Huh? This looks familiar…" Ryuji mumbled.

"It's the entrance hall! Have you forgotten _already?!"_ Morgana barked and criticized him. Ryuji stuck his fingers in his ears and jabbered back to him, "Oh, shuddup!"

"I didn't realize we would end up here…" Ann said. And she was right, none of them did. Nobody expects for paintings to be a secret passage in the real world. Things like that only happen in the media.

"Hey, look! There used to be tons of soldiers wanderin' around, but I don't see any of 'em now…" Ryuji commented. Akira smiled and pulled his gloves tighter onto his small hands.

"Let's make use of that, then."

He pulled a few levers and hopped down onto another elevator that brought them even further down into the castle. He came into an area filled with waterfalls and cages. Akira was slapped with a sense of nostalgia, remembering when he first arrived at this place. The dingy cell and running water… it wasn't a pleasant memory, but it brought him back. They walked around and spotted a door covered in vines. A large guard captain was covering it, standing in front of it safely. The group slowly inched back and hid behind the swinging cages.

"That viney door… We probably need to get in there, but it's guarded pretty well." Ann whispered.

"Does that ever stop us? We just need to beat the hell outta it!" Ryuji grinned madly and cracked his knuckles. Well, it gave Akira reassurance to know that Ryuji was always raring to go…

"I can sense a Will Seed beyond the door, but… it's gonna be rough going." Morgana warned Akira. Akira already had his knife out before Morgana finished the sentence and the only thing that the cat-not-cat was thinking was, _"He's a rabid child when he's fighting but outside of that he's so shy… What is this?!"_

"It's best for us to not pass an opportunity like this. Get ready, everyone." Akira told them. Morgana tiredly pulled out his weapon and gave Akira side-ways glances. Akira was too focused on the Shadow in front of him that he didn't notice it. Akira started counting them down as they pulled out their necessities and strengthened their legs to run in. "One, two… _three!"_

They rushed in on the guard, who immediately snapped his neck over to Akira. Akira was sweating under his clothing, and then…

"A-AHHHHHH! WHAT _IS_ THAT?!" Ann screeched when the Shadow split into its true form. Chills went up Akira's spine when he saw the resemblance. It was a goopy mess that looked just like—

Akira gagged and his knife almost slipped out of his hand, but he still kept onto it. He wanted to scream the same thing as Ann, but he needed to stay focused. "J-just try anything on this thing! We don't have any information, so we just have to keep trying! _Silky!"_

Silky spread her arms out and ice started freezing on top of the Shadows form. After it solidified, it cracked off pieces of its body. But… it barely did anything.

 _"Agi!"_ The same results happened with Panther, Morgana, and…

 _"Skull!"_ Akira called out, running over to somehow stop the attack, but he wasn't fast enough. The hit already stabbed through him, a pained gasp escaping his lips as his body flew backward and skidded against the floor. He groaned, but he was still alive. Ryuji threw a thumb up before he went completely limp on the ground, a weak groan escaping his cracked lips. Akira turned over to the Shadow with an indescribable look on his face. Was it pain? Was it fear? Was it _anger?_ Even Akira didn't know.

 _"Dormina!"_ Bubbles slopped out of the Shadow and it started relaxing. Akira flexed the knife in the palm of his hands and flipped it around impatiently as he tapped his heel against the ground. Focused, stay _focused!_ "Our best bet is to just keep it down like this! We need to pull off a lot of technical attacks! He's resistant to almost _everything!"_

"Got it! _Hrraaghh!"_ Using both of his paws to slam his sword down onto it, the Shadow jiggled and completely faded out by the sudden awakening from his comfortable sleep. They took it by surprise long enough so that they could beat it. They just needed to keep it up long enough to take it down but, _dangit—!_ Akira didn't have much energy left for his Persona…

"We need to keep going…! Panther, I'm counting on you for this one!" Akira held his hands to his mask and tore it off, _"SILKY!"_

 _"HAAGGHHH!"_ Ann yelled out, raising her weapon high and slamming it straight down on the Shadow. It landed a lot of damage. They'll make it…!

"All-Out Attack!" He cried out. Ann, Akira, and Morgana all jumped into the battle and started to destroy them with everything they had. Ann landed on the ground and wiped the sweat off her brow as the Shadow screeched. She smiled happily and threw a peace sign at them. "We did it…!"

Akira gasped out and nodded, looking behind him to see Ryuji face-planted onto the ground with his butt up in the air. Akira snorted, but he ran over to check if his friend was okay.

"Skull! _Skull!"_ Akira called out, tripping over his own feet while running over to him. He quickly pushed himself back up as Ryuji tiredly pushed himself off the ground and waved his hand. The entire front of his stomach was soaked with blood.

"'M fine, just a bit sore… Nothin' too much to worry 'bout." Ryuji smiled. Akira sighed in relief and dropped to his knees. Cognition made them bleed, but it wasn't serious unless they ran out of their energy…

"Ughhh, this is exhausting…" Akira sighed out as Ann walked over to Ryuji and crouched down, holding her hands out above Ryuji's body. _"Dia…"_

Ryuji moaned out in bliss when the pain seeped out of his body. The blood outside of his outfit seemed to turn back in time. It disappeared completely and Ryuji placed a hand on top of the formerly soaked area. "Thanks… Let's go get that Will Seed now. Then we can rest up at a Safe Room."

"Yeah, I'm honestly _SO_ done with this place… but I'm too stubborn to not do this in one run…" Ann sighed, lending Ryuji her hand to help him get up on his feet, which he gladly took.

"Yeah, so am I," Ryuji groaned as he lifted himself off the floor with Ann's helo. Dust flew up into Akira's face and he sneezed as Ryuji continued speaking, "But let's not do this next time or else I think I'll die…" Akira stuttered out an embarrassed "sorry" to them for forcing them to do it in one run, but they didn't even want to hear the words come out of his mouth. There was nothing to be sorry for.

Morgana sliced through the vines as the dark voices got louder and louder. Akira plugged one of his ears when he walked in and quickly snatched the last Will Seed into his hands.

He felt all of the Will Seeds leave their pocket dimension. They all floated near each other. Red, blue, and green… They swirled around each other quickly, their colors swirling around the room as they got closer and closer before colliding with each other to create something new. The outcome was three grey meshed together skulls, and it plopped itself into Akira's hands. His Third Eye told him that it was called the… "Crystal of Lust".

"Whoa, what the hell was _THAT?!_ It got all… I don't even know how to describe it…" Ryuji exclaimed, turning his head over to Morgana and yelling at him.

"C'mon, Mona! You never told us what these Will Seeds'll do!"

"So _THAT'S_ what happens… I never expected tha— I _mean,_ I never expected anything _less_ than that to happen!"

"S-so you had no clue either…" Akira responded. Morgana's fur raised and he snarled at him.

"Oh, who cares about the details?! What really matters is the power I'm sensing from it! Maybe it could give us an upper hand somehow in the future?"

"Wait, we're just… taking it? I'm not totally sure that's a great idea…" Ann grumbled.

"A phantom thief makes use of any available tool to accomplish a mission." Morgana started to walk out of the Will Seed's room. "Who knows what we'll find next? If we find ourselves in a situation where this could be useful, let's see what it can do!"

"S-sorry, but first… I want to rest in a safe room…" Akira apologized to them. Morgana reassured him, "There's nothing to apologize about. We all feel rather disgusting hearing these thoughts. Let's leave here quickly."

They rested up in a Safe Room and recovered all of their energy. The Stamina Kit S that Morgana passed to them was a lifesaver. All of them also get a well-deserved power nap before their eyes shot open and they went out to kick some masked Shadow butt.

Battle after battle, bullet after bullet, drop of blood after drop of blood… They finally arrived at—

"W-WAAA!" Akira gasped out loud. Just when he was about to cross over the bridge, a huge ax came out of _nowhere._ He was saved when Ann pulled him back by the collar and almost choked him, but it was much better than being cut in half.

"T-that was close…!" Ann panted. "Wait… What is this…?"

"It's a classic security measure. My tail might be in danger if we force our way through…" Morgana told them. Akira cringed at the thought of Morgana's tail getting completely snapped off.

"Oh yeah, same for Panther's. So… what do we do? No way we're gettin' through here as is." Ryuji consulted them. Akira smiled and said nothing but he was thinking in his head.

_"Ann's tail getting cut in half probably isn't the equivalent to Morgana's…"_

They needed a key to open it, and their best bet was to beat a high-ranked Shadow to snatch a key off of them. There were _so_ many of them, they'd have to commit a mass genocide just to get a key. On the contrary, he finally managed to snatch up one of the Shadows he had difficulties with before. A Succubus.

 _"Why are most of these Shadows… Ugh, nevermind, I already know why…"_ Akira thought in his head.

When they took down a Shadow, it dropped…

"The hell is that? An eyeball?" Ryuji questioned, taking the eye from Akira's hand and peering at it with one eye open. "It's great the Shadow dropped somethin', but _this?"_

Morgana clapped his fist and the palm of his hand together before crossing his arms. "Ohhh! I just figured it out! This must be how we stop those scythes!"

"Oh yeah… Now that I think about it, the statue didn't have eyes…" Ann said. Akira quickly threw it into his pocket.

"In that case, I guess we're going to have to find one more…" Akira told them. Ryuji groaned loudly, "This is taking _soooo_ long…"

"I wonder what time it'll be when we get back…"

"We'll probably be back during the evening," Morgana responded to Ann. Ann put a finger to her lip and crossed her other arm over her body. "It doesn't seem that bad… We sort of lose track of time in here, so that sounds about right."

"Well, this should be easy! We've gotten pretty strong throughout this Palace. It'll be a breeze…" Ryuji said. …He would jinx those words in a few moments.

_"AHHHHHHH! HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT!"_

All of them were screaming like madmen when they got caught by one of the guard captains. Ryuji was screaming his head off and Ann was trying to hold back her terrified crying. The guard captain was clunky but it was dangerously fast. Morgana was on the borderline between the two of them, experienced enough to be unphased but still shaken up. Akira managed to quickly twist his torso and get the first strike with a shaky arm.

Luckily he did that because this dude was _huge._ Why are all of these Shadows so disgustingly large? Maybe it just seemed that way because he was short, but the others didn't look very happy either.

The Shadow raged and slammed their spear down. Akira skidded his body onto the floor as his Persona Silky came out. _"Dormina!"_

Ryuji came running in with his bat in both hands, putting his arms all the way back as if he were scoring a home run and _slammed_ it into the side of the Shadow.

"Let's go!" Akira pushed himself off the ground, stabbing his knife into the Shadow, twisting it, and then tore it out. Even when blood splattered onto his mask, this damn Shadow was incredibly strong, almost to a fault. It overshadowed him with a glint in his eyes. He didn't like that look and shivers blew up all over his body. Akira jumped back to meet with Morgana running over his way. Akira bent down slightly, already guessing what his teammate was going to do.

"My turn, now!" Morgana jumped onto Akira's back and propelled himself upwards. His sword slashed into them and Ann immediately followed. _"Carmen!"_

She pushed her hand up to her face and tore off her mask. Carmen spilled out around her, her elegant dress wrapping around Ann as the girl pointed her finger at the Shadow.

Bursting into flames. Akira could smell the scent of burning flesh, even though the Shadow wasn't even close to human.

_"AH—"_

Something sharp was coming right to him, the smell of blood and the shine blinding his eyes. From the smoke appeared the Shadow, launching straight towards Akira's face. Fangs… they were fangs plunging straight towards his face. And they made its mark.

All he felt was blood pouring off of his face, but he knew there were gouges on his face. Akira held his glove up to his face and his torso slumped downwards. One of his eyes was completely blinded, and when he pulled the glove away from his face, he couldn't even tell that blood was smeared on to it.

"Joker!" Ann shouted, running to go and help him. Akira held a hand up to stop her and yelled back, "J-just focus on the battle! I'll be fine!"

"Shit…! Fine, if you say so! C'mon, Captain!" Akira could hear his Persona laughing as Ryuji threw his mask off to the side. It blew up in blue flames and when he opened his eyes up, there was only anger and fear. They were _all_ scared.

Sparks of lightning danced around Ryuji's boots before Captain Kidd raised his arm up, a large bolt suddenly shooting straight towards the Shadow. _It was stunned._

 _"Zorro!"_ A burst of wind pushed them all back, Ann's pigtails floating upwards and Akira's tailcoat betraying him, lifting completely. Even though Akira couldn't see that well, he still successfully managed to participate in the attack.

"Stay down!" He jumped onto the Shadow and sliced through him. It was a series of fast and precise movements conducted by the four of them. Deep cuts brutal bashings, and burns from a whip etched itself into the form of the Shadow. Akira stood on it to give it one last stab, but it shook him off. Akira lost his balance and was tossed away from it.

"Agh—!" A grunt escaped his lips as he pierced his knife into the ground, trying to keep himself stable. He still ended up smashing his back against the wall, but it lessened the blow. "We _need_ to keep going! Give it everything you've got!"

Akira held up his pistol and his hand shook. Dangit, he couldn't see that well… He missed a majority of his shots, but he was glad that some of them hit.

They put it to sleep again and pummeled it to the ground. Akira could feel him charging up energy in his legs, breaking the ground underneath him as he jumped up and made carvings into its form. Armor chipped away and revealed a disgusting goopy substance that lobbed onto the ground as he made his cuts. The markings twisted delicately over their breaking body as blood dripped from them like tears. It didn't splash, it just seeped out.

Akira was breathing heavily and his vision faded in and out as Ryuji made the last seeing of his bat, effectively reducing it to nothing but change and scrap pieces of metal before it was whisked away by the Palace. Ann leaned down to pick up a dusty eyeball off the floor and facepalmed herself.

"All of that… just for an eye—! Holy hell, I'm exhausted…" She showed off the left eye of Kamoshida's statue to them. It wasn't anything special but it was _dusty._ Akira rubbed the blood off of his face as Morgana passed him some water. Akira sighed out a "thanks" before uncapping it and pouring it into his mouth. He could feel the wounds slowly inch on itself, sewing it together like nothing had happened. After a minute or so, Akira reached up to find nothing on his face. Ryuji patted his back and pointed with his thumb.

"Let's bring this back to the bridge."

They shoved both eyes into their sockets and looked over to the bridge expectantly, hoping for the scythes to stop swinging. When they put both of the eyes inside, they seemed to glow as the scythes slowly came to a halt.

They ran past it as fast as possible out of the fear that the scythes wouldn't stay stopped for long. They were so close to the Treasure that Akira could smell the end. He was waiting expectantly, but it was still annoying having to get there.

Especially when they found someone of importance.

"Oh shit, it's Kamoshida!" Ryuji whisper-yelled to them. They all leaned close to the ground and looked over to a man sitting boldly on his throne with a more than displeased face. Guards surrounded him and stayed alert as their king slid off of his seat and grit his teeth, speaking to with wrath.

"How have you _not_ captured the intruders yet?!" Kamoshida boomed at them. One of the soldiers whimpered but stayed strong.

"I apologize, my liege!"

Morgana scoffed. "I bet he'd never imagine we're in the same room as him. Come on, let's keep moving."

Morgana led them away quickly and quietly. Akira shot one glance back at Kamoshida before escaping.

They entered a room that looked a bit shabby, probably to throw them off and look somewhere else. A sturdy and carved door said otherwise. Ryuji smiled at the sight and placed a hand on one of the doors. He looked over at Ann and gestured for her to push the other door open.

"This sturdy-lookin' door's pretty promisin'. Let's head inside!" Both of them shoved the door open.

It was a room full of _gold._ Pure riches with barrels lying inside of the massive pool of money. In the middle was a floating mass of distortion. Ryuji gasped in awe, "Whoa, what is this place?! Holy shit!"

They walked into the room and Akira felt the gold give away. How deep was this pit of gold?!

"Hey, what is this? It's… floating in the air." Ann commented. Morgana cackled and jumped up onto a large golden trophy to get on the same eye level as them. This thing was like eye candy to him. "Hehe… That's the Treasure. We finally found it!"

"This cloudy thing is the Treasure? Huh… I… I didn't expect it to look like this…"

"Just hold on a second, Joker. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far," Morgana explained to him. "Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough. We'll need to make it materialize before we can steal it."

They were all confused. Ryuji sunk himself down on the trophy next to Morgana. "Whaddya mean?"

"Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure.

"Once they're conscious that their desires might be stolen, the Treasure will finally show itself."

Ann hummed to Morgana. "But how do we do that?"

"We _warn them._ Tell them, 'We're going to steal your heart.'"

"So we're gonna send a _calling card?!_ That's totally what a phantom thief would do!" Ryuji exclaimed, looking at the floating blurry ball with bright eyes. A calling card, huh…

Morgana smiled proudly with his paws on his hips. "Once we do that, the Treasure will appear for certain! …I think!"

"There's the line again…"

"Either way, sounds like it's worth givin' it a shot!" Ryuji smiled at Ann. Akira sat down on the pile of gold and sighed out as Morgana spoke, "Our infiltration route is secure. All that's left now is to pump out a calling card in reality, then come back to take the Treasure!"

"This is it, huh?" Ann smiled. Yeah, it was over. Finally over… Akira smiled up from his position, watching them all cry out in relief that their last mission would be coming soon.

"Let's do this. We won't lose, either."

"That's the spirit!" Morgana cheered as he leaped off of the trophy and landed on the coins below, splashing some upwards they clinked against but he didn't pay any attention to it. "Once we send out the calling card, there will be no turning back.

"Just let me know when you're ready. We'll head back to the hideout and send out that calling card!"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

When they got out, Akira seeped in the damp air of reality and bellowed it out with a smile on his face. They were finally back on the school rooftop and it was _amazing._ Rain poured down from the sky and stained the ground. He realized it was a lot warmer inside of the Palace and he pulled his jacket closer onto himself.

"Oh god, I need to _piss…!"_ Ryuji screeched out and ran down the stairs of the roof. The sky was turning orange underneath the mess of gray clouds as Akira and Ann followed the boy down. They waited outside of the bathroom for him to finish his business.

"Now I want to sleep… But I'm also really hungry." Ann moaned out. Akira could hear her stomach growling and her face turned red.

"We can all get some food together? I-I'll pay this time!" Ann blew raspberries at Akira and crossed her arms. "I'll be paying this time! Don't you worry about it. You hear that, Ryuji?!"

"Don't yell into the boy's bathroom, _dammit!"_

Akira could see the difference in food taste when they arrived at a conveyor belt sushi place. It still didn't stop Ryuji from slamming his face in with cuts of tuna. The same thing happened with Morgana (Akira was sneaky about giving him the pieces.)

"That was a good day. H-hey, Lady Ann, don't pass out while chewing your food!"

"I'm not, I'm not! Just… just gimme five minutes…" She whispered out as her eyes started to shut. Ryuji clapped loudly in front of her face and she jolted upwards and opened her eyes.

"Oh my god, did I just do that?"

"Yes, yes you did," Ryuji responded with a yawn. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment and groaned out. Her eyes were red.

"Everybody should get a good night's sleep. I hope I don't pass out at the bathhouse…"

"Bathhouse?" Ryuji questioned.

"Ah. So, um, the place I live in doesn't have a shower or a tub, s-so I kinda just go to the bathhouse every day instead…"

Ann hummed and rested her chin in her hand as she lazily picked up her salmon sushi with her chopsticks. "A nice hot bath seems nice right now… I kinda want to go."

"Contain your impulses, Lady Ann. It's best for you to just go straight home. We'll all be able to go to the bathhouse at another point in time."

"The cat's right."

"I'm _NOT A CAT!"_ He argued against Ryuji who continued speaking without a care in the world.

"I should just… _hahhh…_ sleep…" Ryuji yawned, his eyes tearing up as he opened his mouth. They finished their food up quickly and took the train together. It was a struggle to keep Ann and Ryuji from falling onto the floor out of exhaustion, but Morgana and Akira were determined to keep them up until they arrived at home safely. Ann and Ryuji left with heavy eyebags, and Morgana and Akira waved their goodbyes to them.

"Ready to go home?" Akira whispered to them while he waited for the next train. An announcement shouted out that their train would arrive shortly. Morgana smiled at him.

"Yup!"

When they arrived home, Sojiro raised his eyebrows and wiped his hands on his apron after washing the dishes. "Why do you look so tired?"

"It was a rough day… I'm heading to the bathhouse nearby," Akira told him, "I just wanted to drop by to say that I'm home…"

"All right, kid. I'll head out also then. Goodnight." Sojiro said to him. Akira waved goodbye at Sojiro outside of Leblanc as he left for his house. Akira and Morgana quickly made their way over to the bathhouse, giving some yen to the lady at the counter before heading inside.

It was empty and they were the only ones there. Well, it was late so of course it'd be empty…

"Morgana, um, wanna come inside the bath? Nobody is inside, so as long as we keep quiet we'll be fine."

"Yes! A bathhouse! I always have to wait for you out at the lockers… Make sure to give me a good scrub!"

Akira sunk inside of the bath and adjusted the temperature of the water. Morgana was sitting on his lap, and Akira slowly massaged behind his ears. Morgana started purring out in bliss. "Ah, this is so nice…"

"It feels great after an exhausting day… I'll sleep great today."

After they soaked they went over to the shower area and lathered Morgana with shampoo and rubbed it into his fur. Akira felt happy having a bath with Morgana, he always felt awkward whenever he went inside by himself.

"Do it really rough! Get out all of the dirt from today's Palace run!"

"R-really? You want me to really scrub it into you…?"

_"Do it!"_

"A-all right then…" Akira said, cracking his knuckles and digging his fingers into Morgana's fur.

_"AhhhhhHHHHH! NOT LIKE THAT!!"_

The most important thing was that they were clean. Morgana's fur was poofed up so much that it covered his eyes. They stayed in there for a while…

"I think conditioner doesn't work that well for me…" Morgana grumbled, trying to use his hind leg to move the fur out of his eyes. Akira went over to him and brushed back his fur and untangled it over back to its original coating. He plucked out the fur from the head of the brush he used and smiled at him. Morgana shook his body and shed a bit of fur onto the locker, which Akira quickly picked up.

"Y-yeah, I won't use it next time…"

That night they lay in bed. Morgana rested on top of his chest, and sleep overcame both of them quickly. In general, Akira would say he was happy. For the first time, he thinks he's happy even after everything that's happened. He smiled before he closed his eyes.

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

_He was in a dark place. Cold, cold, empty, and scary._

_"H-hello?" He called out into the emptiness. Akira shivered. There was no response. Where was he? What was going on?_

_"You should've killed yourself when you had the chance, Akira."_

_Akira flipped his head back and was met with… himself. But it wasn't him. It was him before he came here. Silver hair that parted off to the side and floated elegantly above his eye, long eyelashes that could stab someone, and cold eyes that pierced into his soul. They just smiled at him and said nothing_

_"H-huh…?" He exclaimed. "What do you mean?! I don’t understand you. Who are you?!" They laughed at his confusion and faded away like dust in the wind. Akira rubbed his hands together. It was cold…_

**_"Yejun? Where are you?"_ **

_He heard another voice and turned around._

**_"M-Mom…?"_ ** _Akira asked. He couldn’t discern her face. What was she looking at? What was the expression she was looking at him with?_

_"You should just kill yourself."_

_"Nobody wants you!"_

_"Go to hell!"_

_"Why can't you do anything right?!"_

_Akira clutched onto his head, tearing into his hair with his hands. He scrunched his face up as the voices kept overlapping and yelling at him. "Just kill yourself, just kill yourself!" They kept screaming at him to die he's had enough of this—_

_He felt a hand on his face and it lifted his chin. He was met with the sweet stare of his mother, tossing his hands off of his hair and petted him. The voices stopped._

**_"Yejun… I love you. I love you, Yejun. You know that right? Everything I do is for your benefit. You know that, right?"_ ** _Ah, that language he had wished to hear from her lips. The language he had heard on a daily basis back when everything wasn't so stressful…_

**_"O-of course I do, Mom. Of course I do…"_ **

**_"Would you do anything for me, Yejun?"_ **

**_"Mom, of course I would…"_ **

**_"Then…"_ ** _She smiled, her face started shifting and Akira's eyes widened. He started shaking, her bails stabbing into his shoulders as she kept him in place. Those teeth… those eyes, that nose, those lips that spilled nothing but a false sense of security. She bled from her forehead and tore into her son._

**_"Would you die for me?"_ **

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira woke up in a cold sweat, sitting straight up from his mattress. He knocked Morgana off onto the floor, clattering and hissing. Morgana quickly got up to his feet, ready to scream at Akira.

"What the he—!"

He stopped when he saw the look on Akira's face. Sweat dripped down from his forehead with a foreign expression on his face. It looked empty and devoid of emotion. Morgana's ears pressed flat against his head and he jumped up onto the bed and meowed at Akira, "Akira…? Are you okay?"

"…I… Yeah, I-I'm fine. Just had a nightmare. Sorry for waking you." Akira whispered, petting the top of Morgana's head with a smile. Morgana still looked concerned, but he said nothing. "Let's go back to sleep, okay?"

"…O-okay…"

Akira pulled the blanket back over him and Morgana rested back on top of him. Even long after Akira's breathing had settled, falling back into a deep sleep, Morgana kept awake for a little while longer to make sure he was comfortable. Morgana's happiness was to become a human again, but for now? His happiness was to live here with Akira.

Yeah, this happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOUT OUT TO THE PEEPS IN THE KASUMI CHURCHCORD FOR INSPIRING ME TO WRITE THIS MUCH!! Been really liking writing after connecting with other fanfiction writers :)
> 
> Huge thanks to [Doq](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoqWithAQ) for beta reading this chapter! You can find his Shusumi fic [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23919799)
> 
> Also, another shoutout to [some1upoyo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/some1upoyo) for always checking up on me in DMs and just being a cool friend :))) Please go read his p5 Shusumi fic [A Lifelong Fan in Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25433350) and his P3mc/P3femc fic [In Death We Grow Closer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471146) :^)))) they're so good
> 
> ALSO POG THE DUNGEON EXPLORING IS DONE HOLY SHIT
> 
> EDIT 10/14/20: I FORGOT TO ADD THE PART WHERE THEY COLLECT ALL OF THE WILL SEEDS BECAUSE I'M A DUMB FUCK


	11. Chapter 9: Jester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A king's crown will finally fall into the hands of magnificent phantom thieves, but the court's jester seems to be interested more in the joker of their group.

"Are you sure you're okay, Akira?" Morgana asked him. They were lined up along with a bunch of other people as they waited for the train. "I'm fine. I told you, it was just a nightmare. Nothing too big to worry about…" Akira pat Morgana's head and he grumbled to him, his ears poked out of the bag.

"You look exhausted, though."

"I-isn't that normal? We did run through an entire Palace yesterday," Akira told him. Morgana sighed and couldn't find the strength to argue against him.

"Oh, hey Akira!"

Akira turned around to see Ann headed towards him and stood right next to him. "I'm still pretty tired from yesterday. What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm tired… I could use some more sleep," Akira yawned. Ann grinned at him. "At least you weren't as bad as me and Ryuji last night…"

"I-I was scared you guys were going to pass out on the train home…! I'm glad you were safe…"

"It was no big deal! Tired or not, I can still kick ass." Ann grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "We still have time for the calling card. When do you want to send it in?"

"Um, later today… I need to stock up on some more goods before we go out," Akira responded to her. She nodded and crossed her arms. "Sounds all right to me. I wouldn't want us to die in there because we were tired and didn't stock up… I'm glad you're the calm one of the group, Akira. I would've been too impatient…"

"I want to go straight in also, but, um, I want to make sure everyone is well-rested. Don't worry about it too much. Let's go to school together!"

The school was filled with rumors like usual. Akira wished that he could just ignore the rumors, but he couldn't. It _really_ affected him; more than what he wanted to admit. He managed to walk past all of the damaging words and looks.

He did all of his chores and errands and started walking over to Central Street when…

_"Huh?"_

There laid a blue door with Caroline sat on top of its frame, smiling devilishly. Justine stepped out from behind the door. Caroline came jumping down and they both stood straight as she spoke to him, "Hey, Inmate!"

"Our master awaits. Please come this way," Justine said, holding her arm out and welcoming him through the door as it swung open. Akira gulped and looked over to Morgana who seemed to be… taking a nap? Huh…

He stood outside the door and peered in through it, seeing nothing but a hazy blue hue. Akira saw Caroline move in the corner of his eye, quickly arriving behind him and kicking him in the small of his back. Akira cried out loud as he was sent flying in through the door.

When he opened his eyes, he was sprawled out on the bed. He quickly stood up and met Igor and the twins as they stared at him with those creepy eyes. Igor grinned and spoke, "So you've come. How does it feel slipping into the unusual from your usual life?"

"Our master has arranged an access point to assist you in coming here directly from the real world," Justine explained. Caroline scoffed at him.

"That door you just went through is it! Be thankful, Inmate!"

"Yes, thank you very much…" Akira mumbled out half-heartedly. Igor laughed at his attitude and stopped Caroline from bashing the bars.

"This too shall aid in your rehabilitation. Make good use of it," he told him. Akira nodded at him.

"Yes, sir."

When he went back to the real world, it was like nothing had happened. Morgana still slept in his bag, the quiet pittering of water against his blue umbrella lulling the cat-not-cat further to sleep. Akira tried to not think about his nightmare last night. Meeting himself, his mother…

Akira shook his head and tapped the side of his cheek with his open hand and took in a deep breath of the cold and damp air. "I-I can do this!"

He stood in front of Untouchables and sweated. Uh oh, what was the shop owner going to say to him when he finds out he's in the boy's uniform? He needed to sell and buy things from the shop though…

Akira stood outside long enough for Morgana to wake up and meow at him, "What’s the holdup?"

"A-airsoft shop…"

"Ah." Morgana breathed out. Morgana put his paws on his shoulder and lifted himself out of the bag. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Your girl act didn't do much in the first place."

"I-I hoped it did…" Akira pouted, walking over to the door and pushing it open. He quickly pushed down his umbrella and shook the water off of it before he stepped inside of the horrendously cramped space.

"What're ya here for, kid?" The man asked him. Akira sucked up his fear and placed all of the goods on the table. It was an ungodly amount from all of the things they stole from the Palace. The man raised an eyebrow and scoffed at him.

"The hell'd ya get these from?"

"That's none of your business, sir." Akira beamed. The surly manager had a staring contest with him for around ten seconds before he gave in and scratched the back of his head underneath his cap.

"Shit… all right, I'll ring it all up. All of this goes for… How about nine thousand yen?"

"Ten thousand," Akira argued. The man laughed and pulled his lollipop out of his mouth. He leaned over the counter and gave him a menacing look.

"Ya tryin' to haggle with me, kid? You have some balls for a middle-schooler. Hey, I thought you were a girl last time?"

"I _said_ ten thousand yen. This'll ensure my future patronage. I'll be buying a lot from here, sir. Also, this pearl is on the level of a mid-tier jeweler's. Don't try and cheat me out of my deserved money." Akira smiled. Another stare-off. Morgana's mouth gaped at the words coming from Akira's mouth. What just _happened?_ Where did the shy and stuttering Akira go?

"…Fine. Here's your ten thousand, _miss."_

"Thank you kindly, _ma'am."_

Morgana could choke from the amount of smoke coming from the fire he saw crackling between the two when Akira took the stack of cash from his hands. He left the store with a stern expression and let out a huge intake of air.

"A-Akira…?" Morgana questioned him nervously, staring up at the poor boy's face. He was breathing heavily and sweating.

"T-that was nerve-wracking…" Akira whimpered to him. Morgana sighed to him and slumped back into the bag. Akira quickly propped his blue umbrella back up and whimpered. Morgana talked to him from inside the bag, his voice was muffled yet it was also _loud._

"It surprises me how fast you can change your attitude depending on certain situations. Is that a talent or something?"

"R-really? It was just acting…" Akira whispered to him, trying to not seem like he was insane. He was talking to a _cat_ after all.

"It was some pretty splendid acting if I do say so myself!" Morgana complimented him. Akira laughed awkwardly. "T-thanks…"

His phone buzzed and he quickly pulled it out.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|3:23 PM|April 21st|**

**Ryuji:** wanna send out the callin card??

 **Ryuji:** we know the route to the treasure now so it couldnt hurt to get it out of the way right??

 **Akira:** yeah, i just stocked up on our goodies. we should be ready to take the treasure!!

 **Ryuji:** aww nice!! ann did tell me u went to pick up some stuff

 **Ryuji:** ill be @ the hideout in a bit

 **Ryuji:** lemme text ann. u just gotta come to the rooftop

 **Akira:** all right i'll see you there!

"All right! All that's left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida's heart!" Morgana meowed while jumping out of his bag. They were all on the roof, with Akira to arrive last. Ryuji crossed his arms and snapped at the cat.

"Couldn't we have just sent one at the _beginnin'_ of all of this…?"

"It's _not_ that simple," Morgana responded. "A Treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. I think it'll last around a day, _at most."_

"The hell…? That's like _no_ time at all…" Ryuji cussed. "Anyways, we can send a callin' card right now, yeah? Let's do it and steal that bastard's heart!"

"We'll be sending it today." Akira grinned.

Ryuji looked up from his phone and gave him a toothy grin and a glint in his eyes. "I've been waitin' for you to say that! Tomorrow's finally the day, huh?"

"So we send the calling card in the morning… and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?" Morgana asked. Morgana jumped onto one of the tables and pointed his tail nice and straight.

"Correct. The effect won't last that long," Morgana informed. "…Are you worried?"

"Heh. Waited _too_ long."

"Perfect," Morgana crowed. Ann clenched her fists and said, "We're going to pull this off, no matter what!"

"So, who's going to write the card?" Morgana asked. Ryuji raised his hand high as soon as the question was asked. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Leave it to me!"

"Why…?" Ann asked, unsure of this decision.

"'Why…?' Why wouldn't it be me?!"

"This is _important._ Are you _sure_ you can handle the pressure?" Ann probed him. Morgana's tail flopped closer to the floor as he responded, "I must agree."

Ryuji stomped his foot and argued against them, "I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it… C'mon, please? Akira?"

Ryuji was begging him with those eyes— those puppy dog eyes that made his cheeks turn red. Akira crossed his arms and turned his face away from Ryuji and stuttered out, "A-all right! You can do it…"

"Yeah, I got this!"

"You persuaded him so easily…" Ann sputtered out. "He's weak to the mythical 'P' word…"

"T-the 'P' word…?" Akira questioned

"Please," Ann told him.

"Ah…"

"Hey, are you sure about this? If they find out our identities, all this work will be for nothing…" Ann told the group. Ryuji shoved his hands in his pockets before rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know! I'll even make sure to use gloves so my fingerprints don't get on it!" Ryuji assured them.

"All right, then! Tomorrow it is! Make sure to get _plenty_ of rest. Sleep in for the entire day if you can!" Morgana told them, eyeing Akira. Akira coughed and looked away from Morgana's prying gaze. Morgana quickly turned his gaze and addressed his next line to all of them.

"You'd better not slack off on this."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira arrived home while Sojiro was wiping down counters. He yawned and started to head upstairs. Akira placed his bag down and Morgana quietly slinked out of his confines. Akira's phone rang again and he sat on his bed. Morgana scurried over to the bed and leaned over Akira's shoulder to see what the rest were saying.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|8:39 PM|April 21st|**

**Ryuji:** man theres so much i wanna write on the callin card

 **Ryuji:** its kinda tough figurin out what to say

 **Ann:** are you SURE you're capable of this?!?!?

 **Ryuji:** dont worryyyy i got it!! i even made a logo for us

 **Ann:** a logo??

 **Ryuji:** yup. u'll get to see it tmrw

 **Ann:** well, that's worrying

 **Akira:** i hope that the logo you made looks really nice

 **Ryuji:** of course it looks nice!!

 **Ryuji:** anyways you guys should rest up

 **Ryuji:** if we screw up we're totally done for

 **Akira:** Well i don't think we'll mess up!! I'll be counting on you guys

 **Ann:** yup, i'm sure we can do this

 **Ryuji:** just remember we can't trust any shitty adults

 **Ryuji:** thats why we gotta do this ourselves

 **Ryuji:** anyways, let's pull this off and surprise everyone!!

 **Akira:** have a good night, guys!

 **Ann:** night everyone!!

 **Ryuji:** yup, see ya guys!

Akira wanted to be _really_ prepared for tomorrow, so he made a bunch of lockpicks with his nimble hands. Morgana looked at his work and barked at him if he was doing something wrong or if he messed up. He made quite a few and he felt like his hands were getting even more dextrous by the second.

The next day was the _calling card._ Akira's blood was pumped with adrenaline and his entire body was jittering as he rode the train to school. He could hear Morgana snickering inside of his bag the entire way through.

The entire atmosphere of the school was different, and he could feel it singing in his brain. He saw red and black calling cards plastered all over the school boards. He saw that Ann was walking over to one of them, a group of students piling up near the cards.

"A calling card?"

"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning."

Ann skimmed her eyes over the text of one of the cards and read it out loud, "Sir Kamoshida Suguru, the utter bastard of lust…" She said with a laugh, "We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"Wow…" Ann huffed out. Akira walked over next to Ryuji as she turned around to meet them. Ryuji rubbed a finger under his nose with a cocky grin on his face. He looked stupidly proud of himself.

"Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."

"Um… _Yeah…_ I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult."

"Your logo is a little lacking, too," Morgana tacked on to Ann's statement. Ryuji groaned in frustration and hopped to defend himself.

"Okay, y'know what? Th-that ain't true!"

"I-I don't think it looks bad, Ryuji! Good job!" Akira smiled.

"See?! 'Kira gets it!"

"Only because he wants to be nice…" Ann snorted as they listened to the students around them gossip their hearts out.

"Did Kamoshida-sensei do something wrong?"

"Does this mean the rumors are true?!"

"Wait a sec… Is someone gonna take something from Kamoshida-sensei?"

"What’s with this weird logo? And who're these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people?"

Ryuji smiled and leaned against the wall. "It got everyone excited, so it's all good, yeah?"

Akira froze when he saw Kamoshida walk next to the boards. Akira quickly slinked behind Ann and Ryuji, hiding from the enormous man.

"Who’s responsible for this?!" The man yelled. Akira was shuddering in fear. Ah, this was a lot scarier than he thought it would be. Ryuji and Ann circled him, trying to hide him from the man as best as they could. Morgana whispered to all of them from his bag.

"…Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."

"I think it's hittin' him pretty hard." Ryuji chuckled out. He could hear the stupid grin on his face from his well-earned success.

"Did you do this?! Or was it you?!" Kamoshida yelled at the students. They all started to scramble away from the board and run from the teacher. The volume of Kamoshida's voice made Akira shake harder. His legs felt like jelly.

"Akira, don't worry about it. He won't be able to prove that it was us," Morgana told him. Akira stuttered out, "I-I know… I know that."

"...Was it you two?!" Kamoshida asked. He could hear Kamoshida stomping over to him. Akida latched his fingers into Ryuji's uniform with shaking hands and peeked out.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Kamoshida-sensei…" Akira wanted to barf from saying the honorific. He was shaking _hard_ now. Ryuji and Ann looked at Akira nervously.

"Eh, it's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway," Kamoshida told them. Akira could see the flash in cognition, the world turning dark. It was almost as if his Shadow was speaking from his mouth. "Come… Steal it, if you can!"

As soon as he spewed that out he stomped away from them in anger. Akira's knees finally gave out and he almost toppled to the floor, but Ryuji was already expecting it to happen and quickly latched onto his arms.

"Judging from Kamoshida's response… I'm sure we had an effect on his Palace!" Morgana mewled.

"Does that mean the Treasure's appeared?! We'll be able to get it today, right?"

Morgana shook his head. "It's not just 'today.' It's _ONLY_ today. The impact of seeing a calling card doesn't last long, and it cannot be repeated. This will be our _one_ chance to steal the Treasure."

Ryuji chortled, wrapping an arm under Akira's armpit to keep him steady. "One day's more than enough for us! Ain't that right, 'Kira?"

"R-right!"

"Wait, do you think you can walk now…?" Ann asked him. Akira took in a shaky breath, the feeling in his legs not coming back.

"Uh… I-I might need to visit the nurse's office…"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"Let's go! Keep your guard up!" Morgana instructed all of them. Akira's knife felt light in his hands when they were met with the Palace. There wasn't time to falter now. This was their only chance and he _knew_ they were more than ready.

The throne room was devoid of anybody. They were the only ones there, an empty throne sat in the middle of the room.

"What the hell's goin' on here? The door's just sittin' open, and there aren't any soldiers around…"

Morgana crossed his arms and explained it to Ryuji, "This place is probably undermanned now that they all got assigned elsewhere. Either way, we win as long as we can steal the Treasure! Let's keep going!"

They walked through the last doors, and there it was. A shining royal crown floating above the pile of gold, replacing the hazy light that was once there before.

"Awww yeeeeaah! The Treasure has appeared!" Morgana jumped up and down in place. Ryuji circled around the crown and held his hand out to measure. "Man, it's huge!"

"What do you think?! It's just as I said! Now we can steal it!" Morgana meowed, "Ahh… this shine brings tears to my eyes…"

"…It kinda pisses me off." Ann grit her teeth. "Why's it so pretty? Isn't this Kamoshida's desires?"

"T-Treasure…!"

Morgana completely ignored what Ann had said.

"Uhhh, the cat's actin' awfully excited." Ryuji stared at the stars in Morgana's eyes. He looked like he was going to explode from how happy he is. Ann crouched down and got a better look at Morgana.

"What's wrong? Is something…"

Morgana leaped onto the crown and wrapped his arms around it, purring and mewling loudly. _"Meeeoooooooow! Mrrrrooooooow!"_

"I-I don't think that's catnip…" Akira stated as Morgana kept throwing themself onto the Treasure. _"…Meow, meow! Mewwwww!"_

"All right, that's enough, you stupid cat!" Ryuji slammed his foot. Morgana finally realized what he was doing, his eyes widening as he jumped off the crown fast and cleared his throat when he made his landing.

"Oh, um, yeah… Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady…"

Ann's heels dung deeper into the gold when she put her gloved hand on her hip. "You were completely out of character too. What was that about?" Morgana's ears pressed against his head.

"I couldn't stop it either… To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much…"

Morgana gasped and looked at them with brave eyes. "Doesn't that prove that I'm human?!"

 _"How should we know?!"_ Ryuji spat. Morgana stuttered and looked over to the Treasure. "A-anyway, you guys need to carry it!" Ryuji grumbled.

"All you do is bark orders…" He walked over to the crown anyways and held his arms under it. Akira and Ann also shoved their arms under, bracing for the weight of the crown. "Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for _sure_ there'd be some insane trap or something."

"His Palace will disappear if we take this back, right?" She smoothed her glove over the sleek gold of the crown. "And Kamoshida will change too…"

"…That should be the case."

"Good. Now's our chance then."

The crown dropped its weight onto them and they all yelped. Ann grit her teeth and tried pushing it up more. Her arms already felt sore. "It's heavy…" She hissed out.

"To think it'd go so well… I've even found three Persona-users in the process…" Morgana clapped his hands and led them on. "My judgment was correct. I made the right choice in making a deal with you! Nyahaha!"

Akira's arms were aching, but he still managed to keep it up. Walking outside with it was annoying though. Every single step was difficult. Morgana couldn't help since he didn't even reach the height of the crown.

"Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!" Akira's eyes widened and before he knew it the crown in their arms tumbled out of their grasp. He flung his head over to the voice, the large crown shrunk and it appeared in his outstretched hand. The cognitive version of Ann ran to his side. Akira gasped when he saw his own cognition the same as before, hugging onto Kamoshida's body.

"I won't let anyone take this! This proves that I am the king of this castle— it is the core of this world!" Kamoshida glowered, clutching onto his crown with blinding strength as the two cognitions fawned over the king with smiles on their faces.

Ann ground her teeth and raged. "That rat bastard… That's how he sees us, isn't it?"

"Yo, pervert," Ryuji mocked. "Were you waitin' to ambush us?"

"I just made it easy to find you. I'll dispose of you myself. Right here, right now." Ryuji growled, his chest rumbling and he threw up his middle finger.

"That's _our_ line, you sexually-harassin' d-bag!"

"What a selfish misunderstanding…" Kamoshida chuckled. He thought they were foolish beings for going up against him and that they didn't understand. Oh, they understood, they understood _everything._

"How is it a _misunderstanding?!_ You were doing things that you kept in secret from others!"

"People around me were the ones who kept it secret," Kamoshida spouted excuses that only he would understand. The cognitive Ann pressed herself closer to Kamoshida, her breasts squishing against his arm. Akira's cognition was practically humping against the man. "Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to become _winners._ They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it."

"W-what kind of _profit…"_ Akira shook, wrapping his arms around himself. Despite the layers of clothing he had wrapped around him, he felt cold. Kamoshida's cognition smiled at him with long lashes and a plastered on smile. Plastic, everything about it was _fake._ "What kind of profit would I gain from what you did to me! Everything that comes out of your mouth is a _lie!_ I-I… I never wanted that…!"

"There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! If you just had accepted my deal, maybe this wouldn't have happened; including naïve brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!

"True, she's a total idiot…" Ann spoke out. She couldn't even begin to explain how many problems she had with this pervert, how much hatred she had for him… "Letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide… And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that!"

"But no matter what kind of fool someone might be…" Ann screamed at Kamoshida, her voice shaking the room around them, "They don't need permission to _live their lives!"_

"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong in using _my_ gifts for _my_ gain!" Kamoshida gloated, "I'm a cut above all other humans!"

"'Above'? You mean _beneath._ You're a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!" Ann clenched her fists and pounded her feet into the ground, getting closer and closer to Kamoshida. Akira, even though he was shaking, he held out his arm to stop her from going too far. Ann looked at him and saw the tired and terrified eyes that looked back at her. The cloth around her gloves felt tight, her body heaving in hatred.

Kamoshida chuckled, his voice turning deep and dark as the cognitions of Akira and Ann moved slightly away from Kamoshida's side. His grin was warped and he held out his arms, his cape fanning out behind him. "That's right. I'm not like you…"

Kamoshida wrapped his arms around Ann and Akira and yelled out, "I am the demon who rules this world!"

Akira was shaking as he watched what emerged from the red and black strings wrapping around Kamoshida's form, shifting and changing into something he didn't expect. He couldn't move his legs and Akira felt like he was going to flop to the floor at any second.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Ryuji cried out as the figure towered over him. Grunts and groans resonated throughout the throne room, a large and slimy tongue shaking as Kamoshida moved his head. The giant crown rested on his head. He had multiple sets of arms protruding from him, all of them holding golden utensils with one of them swishing around a fancy wine glass with the cognitive version of Akira and Ann basking inside of it. Beside him were slaves, chained and ready to do whatever Kamoshida demands them. In front of his crotch was a golden goblet with wriggling legs overflowing the rim. A demon, this was a _demon._

**_"Hahahah! Gyahaha!"_ ** Kamoshida laughed.  **_"I'm allowed to do whatever the_ ** **hell** **_I want!"_ **

"N-no… You're wrong, Kamoshida! Let's finish this…!" Akira forced out of his mouth. Kamoshida screamed out, the entire room shaking from the volume of his voice. It felt like an earthquake had struck them.  **_"Nnngh… GRAAAAAAAGH!"_ **

**_"You goddamn, no-good, shitty brats! Haven't you been taught not to point at people?! HUH?!"_ **

"Look! The Treasure's over there! We should catch him off guard and steal it!" Morgana explained to them. They were all trying to dodge all of the limbs raking across the floor. "Let's attack him and wait for that opportunity!"

"If we don't get knocked down first—!" Ann yelled when Kamoshida slammed the floor, a flurry of volleyballs jumping in only for his slaves to jump and hit them at him at a speed she couldn't dodge. They pummeled into her and she was knocked onto the floor; they felt like cannonballs. She quickly jumped back up onto her heels and groaned. She was _sore…!_

"Bicorn! _Tarunda!"_ Akira called out. "I feel like I won't do that much damage here…! I'll bring him down for you guys to get in the strong attacks!"

"I won't disappoint you, Joker! _Agi!"_ Flames circled Kamoshida. It didn't do much damage, but the burst of flame made him raise his arms to his head to guard against the attack.

Ryuji kicked up his shoes and tossed his mask off to the side, a bolt of lightning flashing through the sky. He jumped and he was replaced with Morgana charging in.

"Go down already!" Morgana yelled out. It almost looked like he jumped in the air with the gusts of wind surrounding him, slashing through Kamoshida. The demon shrieked and assaulted against the floor again, another family of volleyballs barreling towards Ryuji.

"Shit!" He yelped, diving out of the way. His knee pads scraping against the flooring. The long red carpet beneath them was wrinkled and ruined from the battle. Akira didn't know _how_ Ryuji managed to avoid being hit twice in a row, but he did.

"Jeezus!" Ryuji screamed. Even though Kamoshida missed all of his attacks, he was still grinning from watching Ryuji being chased like a mouse.

They kept doing attacks. Akira powered Ryuji up so he could pull off another crazy hit, but right when they were doing their minimal amounts of damage where Akira could finally see the dent in their energy, Kamoshida stabs his golden fork into the goblet in front of him. He picks up a pair of wiggling long legs and shoves it straight into his mouth, his tongue slick with drool. Akira gasped at the sight and realized that his health had been revitalized.

 ** _"Mmm, mmm, mmm! That hits the spot!"_** Kamoshida laughed, his tongue swinging over them. He brought the contents of his wine glass up to his mouth to wash out the taste of _legs._ **_"Come at me, you pieces of shit! I ain't lettin' you sleep tonight!"_**

"H-he healed himself? Is it eating one of those… _things_ in the trophy?" Morgana stared.

"Looks like it… He healed a lot too. We should get rid of that thing first!" Akira shouted out. Akira's eyes widened and jumped up high to avoid yet another sleuth of volleyballs coming towards him. He realized that wasn't the best idea, because another pack of them were coming straight towards him.

"Joker!" Ann cried out, lashing her whip towards Akira. Akira's eyes widened when he felt the leather circle around his leg. Right before he was pummeled, Ann pulled him straight to the floor. He crashed into the ground from the strength, feeling the floor crack underneath him. _"Ahh!_ Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, Panther! Thanks for saving me there!" Akira said, flipping up onto his feet and dusted himself off. Kamoshida growled and whined like a child, throwing a tantrum.  **_"Just die already!"_ **

"Oh just shut the _hell_ up already, you bastard! _Captain Kidd!"_ Ryuji called out, lunging himself forward. Captain Kidd _rammed_ himself into the cup and jumped out when Kamoshida tried to swat him like a fly. Ryuji hopped on one foot and almost lost his balance, but Morgana pushed him back up.

**_"H-hey! You don't know what this is worth, so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it? I've_ ** **warned** **_you!"_ ** Kamoshida screeched at him. Morgana scoffed and slashed his sword right into the cup with a cheeky grin on his face

"When someone tells us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more!"

They were burning down the goblet at a fast pace, the cracks and slowly crumbling coat dropping onto the floor like dead flies in a lantern. Kamoshida was stabbing at all of them with his golden fork, sharp holes forming inside of the ground. He pierced through the carpet and made tears in. Akira saw Morgana yell before blood splattered onto the ground. Akira was shaking when he saw the fork pierce through his body and exit out. Morgana groaned and held a paw to the hole in his chest.

"Y-you know how it works! It just looks bad!" Morgana hissed, getting up onto his feet to show that nothing was wrong. It didn't do a lot of damage, Akira could see it. But even though he saw it, it didn't mean it felt _okay._

"Shit! But you're _bleedin'!"_ Ryuji shouted out to him.

"Just shut up and focus!"

Morgana pulled out his slingshot and started firing out pellets. Akira couldn't help but be distracted by the large gouge inside of his friend's chest, but he kept buffing his team and debuffing Kamoshida.

_"Kamoshida Asmodeus Suguru… What a fitting name."_

Ann banged her whip down that was coated in flames straight onto the goblet. It cracked once, and then it spread out through the entire surface. The cup shattered into a million pieces beneath Kamoshida and he screamed.

**_"…ACK! No way… This was from when I won the national…"_ ** He whined in defeat, slumping onto the ground and whining.

They ran in while his guard was down and surrounded him, holding their guns up straight to him.

**_"You think that you can get away with doing such a thing? Do you_ ** **realize** **_who I am?!"_ ** Kamoshida screamed at them,  **_"I am Kamoshida! Don't you get it?!"_ **

"So what? So what if you're 'Kamoshida'? Your title doesn't give you the right to anything!" Akira screamed at him.

**_"Huh?! Like I keep saying— I am Kamoshida! I'm the king!"_ **

Ryuji snarled. "I always saw you as a condescending hotshot, but right now… you're just a pathetic loser." Ann talked back.

"We came all this way to steal that! Will you just give it up and hand it over?"

Kamoshida roared.  **_"Silence! I won't let the likes of you have this!"_ **

"You _still_ have the energy to say things like that?!" Morgana screamed in awe. How far was he willing to go with the same speech and excuse?! "Then we're going to up _our_ game as well!"

They all backed up and went in for the barrage. Ann lit her whip on fire, Carmen's dress floating through the air and she whipped it across Kamoshida's face. Morgana pushed in his sword as hard as he could and Ryuji kicked his foot up high and let it come crashing down. Kamoshida was getting fed up with their gimmicks, and Akira quickly called for them to pull back.

**_"I'm the king! If I'm not, then who is?!"_ ** Kamoshida slammed his tongue down next to them.  **_"How dare you keep defying me… Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves! Bring over you-know-what!"_ **

The chained minions on him were cut off and quickly scampered to get what he wanted. Akira gasped. This was going to be _bad._ Morgana quickly healed himself, feeling the oncoming wave of doom hang over them.

**_"Time for my killshot from when I was active and rockin' it!"_ ** Kamoshida yelled, slamming his hand down on the floor as if he were about to make the funniest joke in existence. **_" Killshot… as in I'll make the kill!"_ **

**_"What’s the holdup? Where's my ball?!"_ **

"I-I'm so sorry, King Kamoshida!" A familiar and bruised face ran into the room, his back hunched over to hide himself from his king's wrath. "I-I have it right here!"

**_"Too slow, Mishima! Worthless chump!"_ **

"M-Mishima?!" Ryuji choked on his spit in shock.

"Wait, what?! Why's he here?!"

"Calm down. That's only Kamoshida's cognitive version of him! It's not the real Mishima!" Morgana barked at Ann and Ryuji.

"Guard yourself! _Quick!"_ Akira yelled out, holding his arms across his body in an X formation. The others quickly did the same. Kamoshida cackled and banged against the floor.

**_"Good, Mishima— now pass it to me! Don't tell me you can't even do something as simple as that!"_ **

"Ah, e-eh…! Here it goes—!" Mishima whimpered, threw the ball up, and watched it as it came down, his hands thrusting it upwards in a perfect angle.

Kamoshida leaped out of his position and pulled one of his arms back. **_"Behold my greatness!"_ ** He yelled. It was fast, strong, and… oh no.

As soon as it hit against the ground, they were caught up in an explosion. They all screamed. When it finally dissipated, they were scuffed and burnt. They were still alive, wincing, and breathing. It was so hot inside of their clothing, everything felt _tight._

**_"I knew it… I can't go all-out with Mishima providing the backup."_ ** Kamoshida groaned.  **_"Hey, shit-for-brains! Get off my court!"_ **

"I-I'm sorry, King Kamoshida!" Mishima sobbed and ran as far as possible.

**_"Next slave, get out here! Hurry yo with my damn ball!"_ ** He smacked his crop against the ground. A female figure quickly walked in, her heels steady as she held the ball under her arm.

"King Kamoshida, I've brought you your ball, just like you asked."

Shiho. It was Shiho in a rabbit costume, scandalously clad with furry white cloth covering her bottom and breasts, a fluffy bunny tail protruding from the back. Red lipstick painted her lips, the pink jewels on her tiara glinting off the reflection of Kamoshida's golden crown.

**_"Now there's a good girl, Suzui."_ ** Kamoshida catcalled.  **_"Yeah, all women should obey my orders like this— ain't that right,_ ** **sweetheart?"**

"N-no way! What's Shiho doing here?!"

"Oh my gosh, _Shiho!"_ Akira covered his mouth. He wanted to say she looked worse than Ann’s and Akira’s cognitive versions. It really did look grotesque, and the fact that it looked so realistic was proof of what he did.

"Panther, calm down! That's not the real one!"

"Y-yeah, you're right… But, this is just…" Ann flinched. She couldn't handle the sight of it.

Ryuji rumbled and held his bat up, staring at Kamoshida and cussed at him. "Dammit, even Suzui too! You've gone too far you piece of shit!"

**_"…Ah, I get it! You want to see my killshot again, don't you?"_ ** Ann yelled at him with all of her strength.

"Uh, hell no _dumbass!"_

"Focus on the fake Shiho! S-she's just a cognition, so taking her down won't actually hurt her!"

Morgana nodded at Akira's decision. "All right, let's do this!"

 _"Agathion, Lunge!"_ Agathion cackled behind him from his golden vase and summoned the strength in Akira's dagger to do tremendous amounts of damage. The look on the cognitive Shiho's face did more damage to him than what he did on her, though.

She was knocked down. He gave an expectant look to Ryuji, who immediately followed up by smacking his iron-clad shoe straight into her face.

Ann winced when it was her turn but she managed to get the hit in. "This _sucks!"_ She screamed out when she wrapped her whip around Shiho's body and tossed her against the wall. Shiho slumped and groaned. Morgana quickly ended the cognition's pain with a swipe of his sword. She shriveled in dust and faded away.

Kamoshida's tongue flew into the aid. They could hear him slurping up his saliva back into his mouth.  **_"Hmph, even Suzui was useless. Looks like I'll have to give ber some special instruction later… One on one!"_ **

"Kamoshida, I'll _never_ forgive you!" Ann cried out.

"Sorry, Suzui… I swear we'll beat that bastard's _ass!"_ Ryuji apologized, looking over to the spot Shiho's cognition was defeated. Kamoshida slapped the floor again with his flag.

**_"What’s the matter, slaves?! Hurry up and bring me more volleyballs! I can't serve up my killshot without any balls!"_ **

They waited for a second only to see that nobody responded. Akira couldn't help the tiny victorious smile spread across his face.

**_"Huh?! Did I just… Am I really out of slaves?!"_ **

"We won't get anywhere with brute force… What do we do?!" Morgana asked him.

"Take off the crown! It'll help change our course, he'll become desperate without it!" Akira yelled. Kamoshida's tongue flicked right towards his face. Akira quickly made his knees go limp and his upper body flopped to the ground. The tongue slammed into the wall and he quickly brought himself back into the proper posture. Akira was glad he's insanely flexible, or else he would've broken a bone… 

"Somebody's going to have to steal his crown while three of us are distracting him…!" Akira panted out.

"I'll," Ryuji jumped out if the way of one slam of Kamoshida's tongue, "go," _another one,_ "for you!"

"Then hurry!" Akira said, sprinting over to the tongue chasing Ryuji and stabbing his knife into it. He yanked it out, a jabbed line forming as blood spewed out of it. Akira flinched away from the oddly cold blood spraying on his clothing. Kamoshida screamed from the pain and tried to slam his tongue onto the wall to catch Akira off-guard, but he jumped off in time.

"Gotcha! Keep him distracted by attackin' him for me!"

"Go, go, go!" Ann yelled back at him. Ryuji freed his hands up and started sprinting, his long legs making cracks form on the floor from how hard he was stepping.

Ann, Akira, and Morgana were relentless. They skillfully and delicately avoided Kamoshida's jabs and slashes towards them while Ryuji hid at the side of a woman's statue with her buttocks protruding outwards.

"Joker, on your left!"

A golden knife almost cut his arm off, but he dived away. He felt his elbows scrape in the ground and he winced. Akira knew that it was impossible to be dismembered in the Metaverse (Morgana said this to him offhandedly at the bathhouse,) but the thought of his arm being sliced on his socket terrified him.

"Thanks, Panther!" Akira cheered to her. She smiled. Her skin was shining from how much sweat coated onto her. "Thank me later, we still have a fight to win!"

Morgana flung out his slingshot and began firing pellets straight at Kamoshida. Kamoshida flinched while taking the hits before raging and pounding his arms on the ground like a child.

**_"Now listen up! This school exists because_ ** **I'm** **_around! You're the only ones who don't respect me, you know!"_ **

"Yeah, whatever man…" Ryuji rolled his eyes, speaking underneath his breath. "Anyway. Now's my chance!"

Ryuji jumped up and latched onto the bottom ledge of the upper platform that ringed around the throne room. He tried to get his legs up multiple times, trying to find the right spot to place it.

They kept taunting the demon of lust, starting to get really insulting and rude with it. Ann started blowing raspberries and Morgana straight up disrespected him in his face by trash-talking him. Akira would do the same, but he had too many kind bones in his body to even muster up a curse.

**_"You're misunderstanding it all! I haven't sexually harassed anyone!"_ ** Kamoshida whined. **_"They came on to me because_ ** **they** **_wanted to get on my good side!"_ **

"What a total moron… To even say that in front of one of your victims in the flesh is idiotic…" Ryuji hissed, making it up on the platform above. He hid inside of the shrubbery. "But at least it's lettin' me get closer to the Treasure."

They were so close to knocking the crown straight down, they just needed a bit more time…!

Akira looked away for one second. _One second._ And Ann was slashed through the chest with a knife.

 _"AAAAAGH—!'_ She cried out, blood seeping onto the ground from her chest. She sicked in her cries and held a hand to her chest. "You _bastard!_ That hurt!"

She quickly let out her rage with a pit of fire. She was absolutely _pissed off._ Carmen yelled out in anger as she let that burst of flame spiral towards Kamoshida.

 _"Dia!"_ Morgana yelled, a bright green light swirled around her, and the blood that had dropped out of her slowly turned time and went back into her wound. Ann smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Mona!"

"Y-you're welcome, Panther!" Morgana said with hearts in his eyes. Akira chuckled nervously at the interaction.

**_"Is there one less of you? I knew it! They're missing! Where'd they go?!"_ **

"Took you too long to notice, moron!" Ryuji yelled out as he leaped from the edge and smashed the crown off with colossal strength. He landed on the ground and smirked at Kamoshida, who was flailing his arms around in desperation.

**_"NOOO! My… my_ ** **precious!"**

"Good job, Skull! Kamoshida's shaken up!" Morgana complimented Ryuji. He blushed lightly under his mask, gobbling up the praise and savoring it.

"Hehe! Nothin' to sniff at, Mona!"

Ann smiled. "I think we can do this!"

It was the last stretch, and they gave it all they had. With Kamoshida depressed and dejected, they took advantage of his weakened state.

_"Let's go, Captain!"_

_"Dance, Carmen!"_

_"Zorro! Show your might!"_

_"Go down! Agathion!"_

In one strong and concentrated push, wind, fire, lightning, and pure strength slammed into Kamoshida. He screamed and toppled over. They quickly jumped away to not be crushed by his falling body.

**_"DAMN YOUUU!"_ **

When Kamoshida's demonic facade fell and he reverted to his human form, the crown shrunk. Ryuji grinned and tried grabbing it, but Kamoshida rolled in out of nowhere and quickly took the crown into his clutches and ran for the balcony.

"Ah!" Ryuji gasped, quickly running after Kamoshida with the rest of them in tow.

"Nnngh…" Kamoshida groaned. He didn't have anywhere to run. He was completely trapped. He was still holding on tightly to his crown with a shaky frame. Despair, distraught, and fear painted his face.

"What’s wrong? Not running away?" Ann quipped. "Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?"

He growled to them, shuddering and baring his teeth. "It's always been like this… all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me!"

He screamed his heart out. "I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that?!"

"Now you're makin' excuses?" Ryuji grumbled. "We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours."

Kamoshida felt nauseated at the thought of his heart being stolen. Everything he deserved, everything he worked hard for… "Hrrrgh…"

"Scared?" Ann asked him. She had zero sympathies, zero empathy for this man. This man had ruined so many lives for the young and innocent… people that had hopes and dreams.

"Right now, you're seeing the same view that Shiho and Joker did." Ann walked closer to the balcony Kamoshida was looking out at. "I'm sure Shiho was scared too… except she had no choice but to jump… and Akira had no choice but to suck up all his emotions and tough it out…"

"What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather cry and die here?"

Ann’s mask disappeared, Carmen appearing behind her with fire flaring to life in the palms of her hands. Kamoshida whimpered in fear. Akira covered his mouth when he looked between Ann and Kamoshida. _What should he say?_

"Do you want to finish him off? It's your call." Morgana told her. Kamoshida started sweating bullets as he held onto his crown.

"No, please wait! I beg you… Just forgive meee!"

 _"Shut up._ I bet everyone told you the same. _But you…_ you took _everything_ from them!"

A ball of fire was launched straight towards Kamoshida and Akira clamped his eyes shut, both of his hands clasped over his mouth to stop himself from screaming.

But it didn't happen. It didn't land. Akira cracked one of his eyes open to still see Kamoshida alive and in the flesh with terrified eyes.

"I-I accept defeat… You want this? Take it." Kamoshida got onto his knees and tossed over the crown. Ryuji effortlessly caught it in his hand. Akira's legs were shaking nonstop.

"Go ahead and finish me off… You do that… and my real self will go down too…" Kamoshida said with tears in his eyes. "You have that right since you've won…"

Ann clenched her fist and sent the last call of fire that hovered in his hand. A sickening feeling dropped in Akira's stomach and he closed his eyes once again, his heart beating stupidly fast.

 _"Ann!"_ Ryuji called out, but the ball of fire scraped Kamoshida's cape, but it didn't hit him directly. Still, Akira kept his eyes shut as she began speaking to Kamoshida. Ann's mask appeared back on her face as she spoke to them all.

"If his mind shuts down, he can't admit his crimes."

"You're kind, Lady Ann…" Morgana told her. Ryuji sighed in relief and she shook her head.

"I don’t think Akira wants to see what I'd do to him, anyway."

As soon as she said that, his knees finally tumbled on the ground and he curled in on himself, his hands still wrapped above his mouth.

"I've… _lost…"_ Kamoshida breathed out weakly. "You're through when you lose… What am I— What am I supposed to do now?"

Akira took his hands off of his mouth. He couldn't bear to look at the pitiful man's face. Still, he spoke to him.

"Atone for your sins… I understand where you come from, that the weight of everyone's expectations got too heavy… But this wasn't the way. And now you have to pay for what you've done."

"All right… I will leave now and return to my real self…" Kamoshida smiled, finally feeling the weight of his crimes lift off of his chest. He'll finally be able to admit everything he's done. "I'll make certain that I—"

And he disappeared. Still, Akira did not look up. He pulled his legs to his chest and buried his head in his knees. Ryuji could see that his entire body was shaking.

"Akira…" Ryuji whispered, putting a hand on his back. Akira quickly tossed it off of him and uncurled himself. He smiled at Ryuji, but he sensed discomfort in it. It was _sad._

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm just… shocked. That's all."

And then his eyes widened.

"Hey, just so you know," his not-feline friend said, "we don't have time to waste."

"This place is about to collapse!"

He could see the foundation of the Palace crumbling above him. Akira gasped and looked over to Morgana who was seated on the floor, grooming his fur and meowing.

 _"Run!"_ Ryuji said.

"W-wait!" Akira called out to them.

"What is it Akira?!" Ann called back to him. He started sweating bullets as the castle slowly started falling apart.

"I-I can't move my legs! _I can't move them!_ T-they won't work…!" Akira said, pounding on his legs, but they were completely numbed. This has _never_ happened before. When this happened, he could at least move his toes and make his muscles twitch, but he couldn't feel it at all. Ann hissed and quickly lifted Akira onto her back.

They started a mad sprint, Ann's arms tight around Akira's bottom. He wrapped his arms around Ann tightly and clamped his eyes shut. He was surprised that she could carry him so easily, even after having a battle. She was even wearing heels!

"We're gonna die! We're so gonna die!" Ann cried out, keeping her grip on Akira. He whimpered and kept a tighter grip on her.

"I'm so sorry! I-if my legs were working, I wouldn't be slowing you down right now—! ACK!" Akira yelped, feeling a cat jump onto his head. It then bounced onto Ryuji's and trotted forward in front of them.

"No fair, you _jerk!"_ Ryuji screamed at Morgana. Morgana turned his head back and mewled at them. Ryuji grit his teeth and kept his arms straight, piercing through the wind.

Akira moved his head stiffly to see that Ryuji's leg was faltering, and Ryuji himself knew it. The pain on his face was evident when he started limping. He collapsed onto the ground, his right leg buckling on him."AGH—"

"Ryuji!" Ann stopped for a second to try and help him up, but he shook his head and lifted himself.

"Heh… It's been a while, so I just tripped, is all!" Ryuji smiled. He looked behind him and saw the rubble coming down closer and closer. They screamed in terror and continued running for their lives. They saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and they didn't stop their legs from moving towards it.

When they landed back in reality, Ann and Akira were sprawled out on each other. Akira was on top of Ann, his arms still wrapped around Ann's chest as his head rested on her breasts. Ann was hugging him tight and they all groaned out in pain.

"Hahh… ahhh… That sucked…!" Ann groaned out. Akira sucked in air and realized that he was hooked onto Ann and quickly pushed himself off of her.

"I-I'm _so_ sorry! I-I didn't mean to—!"

"It's fine, Akira… Don't worry about it." She panted, assuring him that everything was all right. Akira nodded and fanned himself with his hand, still laying his back up against the wall.

Ryuji coughed and choked in the fresh air. He brought out his phone and coughed even harder. He showed it off his screen to the rest of the exhausted phantom thieves. "L-look at— _Kakk hahkk…!_ Hah… Look at the nav…!"

They all looked over to Ryuji's phone, and the phone spoke to them.

"The destination has been deleted."

"...It's true. We can't go there anymore," she stated. Ann regained her breath and pushed up her sweaty bangs.

"What about the Treasure?!" Morgana exclaimed. Akira grinned and pulled it out of his pocket, raising it proudly. His legs were still like goop and he couldn't move an _inch._

"What the…" Ryuji muttered out confusedly.

"…A medal? Wait, where'd that crown go?"

"What’s goin' on?" Ryuji asked, looking over to Morgana. He swished his tail and explained it to them.

"It means, that was the source of Kamoshida's desires," he remarked. "To him, this medal is worth as much as that crown we saw in the Palace."

Ryuji sighed out, angry at the sight in front of him. "An Olympic medal… So, that perv kept clingin' to his past glory and couldn't let it go…"

"But… this means Kamoshida's heart might have changed, right?" Ann looked to Morgana. Morgana stood up and scratched behind his ear.

"…Probably."

 _"Our expulsion's on the line here!"_ Ryuji exploded, pointing at both himself and Akira.

"This is the first successful example for me too…!" Morgana bleated. "However, there's _no_ doubt that this has affected Kamoshida's personally quite a lot. The entire Palace disappeared, after all."

"Ugh, I feel all antsy! Ain't there a way to check _now?"_

"I'm a bit worried… But I guess we'll know soon enough… I don't want to take the offer…!"

"Akira…" Ann sighed out to Akira. He looked stressed as all hell. In actuality, this was the worse for Akira. He had a criminal record looming over him, and he wouldn't have anywhere to go if he were to be expelled.

It pissed Ann off even more when she thought about it. Akira? _Hurting someone?_ Akira would hurt Shadows, but even after Kamoshida had done to him, he couldn't stand the thought of him dying.

"Come on, why the gloomy faces? Be happy! We completed this with great success, you know." Morgana scolded them. Akira brought his fingers to the corners of his mouth and pulled up, trying to simulate a smile. It didn't do much when the dark bags under his eyes were as clear as day. He just looked _terrible._

"Not like that!" Morgana complained. He sighed out long and hard.

"We just don't know if everything's okay yet…" Ryuji replied. Morgana smiled and stretched his back.

"I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. Remember how Kamoshida's Shadow said that he's returning to his self in reality?" Morgana asked them. "We all know Kamoshida Suguru is _scum._ Still… He did seem to regain his conscience _somewhat_ before he disappeared."

Akira sighed out. "It seemed like it worked… I just hope what I _seem_ is correct…"

"There are definitely those who have been saved thanks to what you've done." Akira thought about Shiho. About Mishima, about all of the women at school, about all of the volleyball club members that had to suffer through his tyranny…

"Yeah," Ann said, sharing the same thoughts.

"Anyways, I guess we gotta wait. It all boils down to what's gonna happen to Kamoshida… or if we're gettin' expelled for real…"

Akira squirmed at the words Ryuji said. "Eehhhh! Don't say that word…! The E word!"

"The E word?" Ann asked. Ryuji replied to her.

"Expelled."

"Oh…"

 _"Don't say it again!"_ Akira cried out. Ryuji sighed and patted his back.

"All right, all right— I won't say it again. Can you move yet, buddy?"

"…M-my legs are still weak."

"It's your turn, Ryuji. My legs ache from running in heels."

"Ouch…! Yeah, okay. Hop on, Akira."

"Sorry…" He apologized to both of them. Morgana scoffed at him.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Akira. I doubt any of us were going to just leave you to die. Especially right after we finally got what we wanted," Morgana said as he slipped into Akira's duffel bag. Ann slung Akira's bag over her shoulder and started walking out.

Akira's legs were still a bit wobbly when he arrived home. They ended up just hanging around with each other until Akira's legs were finally working again. They were all dead exhausted, but they knew it'd be amazing when they'd fall asleep that night.

**《thievery at its finest (3)》**

**|9:08 PM|April 22nd|**

**Ann:** hey, thanks to you guys, i finally got to avenge shiho

 **Ann:** im pretty sure there was no way id have been able to do anything on my own

 **Ann:** seriously, thank you guys so much. i owe you all so much.

 **Ryuji:** did the sauna get to you???

 **Ryuji:** im just kiddinnn! no need to thank us ann

 **Ryuji:** we're all friends arent we?? thats what friends do

 **Akira:** yeah, there isn't anything to be thanking us for

 **Ann:** no, i really do need to show how grateful i am

 **Ann:** but seriously i cant believe we stole his heart

 **Ryuji:** speakin of which,,, why did morgana turn back into a cat??? when we were leavin the palace

Morgana chuckled. "I guess the idiot _can_ be perceptive. I'm almost impressed."

"Basically, the Treasure changes the shape of things. Once that's gone, that power no longer works. Though the _real_ reason I changed quickly back then was because I'm so incredibly skilled! How's that? Isn't that amazing?!"

 **Akira:** he said he's amazing

 **Ann:** oh yeah i forgot morgana is reading these messages too

 **Akira:** he also called you an idiot, ryuji

 **Ryuji:** of course that damn cat said that…

**《Kurusu Akira is typing…》**

"Why'd you tell him that?!"

"Because it's the truth," said Akira as he quickly tapped his fingers over the keyboard

"And I'm _NOT_ a cat!"

**Akira:** he also said he isn't a cat

 **Ryuji:** whatever he says…

 **Ann:** talking to you guys made me feel a lot better 💕💟🌸 thanks!!

 **Ann:** we havent seen any results but it feels like a huge weights been lifted off my shoulders 😌

 **Ann:** i hope you dont mind me talking so much 😳

 **Ryuji:** its all g ann

 **Akira:** i'll see you guys tomorrow then??

 **Ryuji:** AH WAIT BEFORE THAT

 **《Ryuji re-named group name from** **Whats up people?!?!** **to** **The Phantom Thieves of Hearts** 》

 **Ryuji:** there we go

 **Ann:** we're actually sticking with this?? ryuji…

 **Ryuji:** hey! its cool!! oh and also…

 **Ryuji:** lol-sleeping-dumbass.jpg

 **Ann:** oh my god… did you really take a picture of us passed out on the train??? I- 🤡

 **Akira:** I can't believe you took a picture of me;;

 **Ryuji:** hey i think its pretty nice!! i could probably use it in the future...

 **Ann:** ryuji… i will come over to you house and fight you

 **Ryuji:** uh oh

Akira laid on his bed in bliss after writing in his diary. A lot of things were obscured from it due to obvious reasons, but it was relatively the same when it came to his schedule in reality. Sojiro headed home for the night when Akira was reading through another book. Zorro was like Morgana in a lot of ways. Reading the story made it feel like he was just talking to Morgana.

"Are you sure you're going to sleep okay?" Morgana asked him when he laid on his bed. "You had a nightmare last time, so I want to make sure you'll be okay.

"I swear I'll be fine, Morgana… It was just a one-time thing. Nightmares happen to everyone, it just so happens that I had one last night." Akira yawned.

Morgana puffed his cheeks out and stared straight into his eyes, those beady bright blue irises stabbing into his heart. "You're _positive?"_

"I'm _positive,_ Monamona. I'll be fine," Akira said, cupping Morgana's cheeks and squishing his cute little face. Morgana hissed, but the only thing Akira could do was laugh.

"Goodnight, Morgana. I'll see you in the morning," Akira closed his eyes. Morgana curled up on top of Akira's chest and smiled.

"Goodnight, Akira."

Akira felt calm and comfortable. Kamoshida was finally gone and he hoped that he'd confess his crimes soon. But his heart remained weary as he fell into a deep sleep.

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

_He was in that dark space again, but this time it wasn't frightening. It was just him and… himself. The other him had white hair and eyes that weren't blocked by glasses stared back at him. He also had Shujin's school uniform on. Akira swallowed his saliva, his black hair falling over his glasses._

_They both sat down in front of each other and said nothing for a while until Akira gained the courage to speak up._

_"Why am I here? What is this place?"_

_The reflection of himself did nothing but smile incessantly. Akira asked him again, "Who are you? What's your purpose?"_

_"What is your purpose?" It questioned back. "I'm here because you exist. My purpose is to exist because you exist. This place exists only because you're living."_

_"I… I don't understand what you mean."_

_"You don't need to understand. Maybe you will, someday. But today is not that day. You feel uncomfortable, don't you?"_

_Akira stayed silent, but his other self took that silence as a yes._

_"Life is uncomfortable. Living is uncomfortable. It always will be. Why do we force ourselves to exist for such a menial life when it seems so harmful?" It asked him. Akira didn't know what to say. What_ was _he supposed to say?_

_"I… I don't know. I exist because… I just do. I was born in this world to exist."_

_His other self laughed at him. "I suppose you're right."_

_"…What do I call you?" Akira asked him. The white-haired fellow dressed thought for a second._

_"…Jester. It's a match for your other name, isn't it? I think I'll stick with it." Jester told him._

_"You must sleep now. I won't talk to you for a long time… I just wanted to introduce myself."_

_"…Okay then, Jester."_

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

And then he woke up. He didn't wake up panicked, confused, or stressed out. His body felt revitalized and energetic. Akira turned his head down to see Morgana snoozing on his chest, and Akira quickly checked the time on his phone.

It was 3 AM. Akira sighed and put his phone back down and quietly shimmied off of the bed, making sure to not wake up Morgana. He was down in the kitchen with the stove on as he cracked a couple of eggs into a pan, he sighed out, lost in thought.

_Was it even a dream?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive made the decision to ax out the interrogation events and make everything "present tense"?? kinda?? if ya know what I mean. but yeah, they don't exist now. imma go back and edit pre-existing chapters to chop out the sae stuff


	12. Chapter 10: Happy Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The anxiety that occurs after defeating Kamoshida builds up and they don't know if they'll be saved from this or not. Akira feels more like an individual now and confides in Morgana about how he's never really been allowed to be himself.

Akira pushed his glasses up and rubbed at his eyes, yawning as he was squished onto the train. He listened in to conversations and gained bits and bobs of information to use in his daily life. When he was waiting for his next train, Ryuji waved to him and ran to his side.

"What's bonkin'! _Hahhh…_ I made it…" Ryuji panted. He had beads of sweat forming on the top of his head, and he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve.

"W-what's 'bonking'?" Akira asked, "What do you mean…?"

"It's a phrase I'm trying to get people to catch onto. It'll be really popular, trust me!"

"If that's what you believe, numbskull…" Morgana hissed from inside the bag. Ryuji lowered his face close to Akira's bag and yelled, "The hell did you say ya damn cat?!"

_"I'm not a cat!"_

"A-anyways!" Akira cleared his throat, distancing himself from Ryuji so Morgana stops sputtering slander at the boy. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Maybe a bit _too_ well… After the Palace, I passed out _way_ too hard. That's why I was rushin' to get here… Man, I didn't even get to have any breakfast…"

"Ah, want this? I made it earlier in the morning. I woke up a little early, so I made myself something to eat," Akira offered, lunging a hand into his bag but Morgana was already pulling out what Akira wanted. Morgana passed it into Akira's hand and asked, "Is this what you wanted?"

"Thank you, Morgana." Akira scratched behind his ear and handed it over to Ryuji. It was a small bento box neatly wrapped in a handkerchief.

"D-dude, you're a lifesaver… An entire bento? You're givin' it to me? Did you even eat anything for yourself this morning?! If not, then take it back!" Ryuji pushed the box back into Akira's hands. The small boy puffed his cheeks out and pushed it to Ryuji's chest.

"I did! I ate!" Akira argued with him. Morgana laid himself on Akira's shoulder and meowed at Ryuji.

"We live at a café so we don't have a shortage of food. He ate curry this morning, don't worry about it," Morgana assured. Ryuji smiled and took the bento box in his hand with a 'don't mind if I do' attitude. Morgana looked over to Akira's face. "But when did you have time to make a bento box? We woke up at the same time."

"I woke up really early and went back to bed after. I had too much energy, so I kinda just… made food. I don't know why I did, but it just happened," he explained. "I cook when I have free time."

"Could you cook for me every day?"

"I mean, I could…" Akira trailed off to Ryuji.

 _"That was a joke, please don't._ But I guess all we have now is to wait for the board meetin'," Ryuji sighed out. "It seems so far away, but it's pretty close."

"I think we'll be fine… I hope." Akira's voice quavered anxiously as the train pulled in. Ryuji quickly put the bento that Akira gave him into his bag and walked onto the train. They both were squished up against each other, but they didn't mind. They didn't mind. At least they were having fun.

Ryuji and Akira hung out in the hallway outside of the blonde's class during lunch. They sat on the floor. Akira had his legs crossed while Ryuji's left leg was punched out, and his other one was bent. Ryuji had opened up the bento and smiled brightly. It had rolled eggs, spinach, bacon, and pork. He quickly picked up the chopsticks and put some food in his mouth.

"Hey, 'Kira, have you seen Kamoshida yet?"

"I haven't. I don't think I want to, either…"

"Do you really think he changed, though?" Ryuji asked him, leaning the bento up in a slope and shoveling the contents of it into his mouth.

"I hope so."

Ryuji responded with full cheeks, "Well 'eah…"

"Oh, perfect timing!"

Ryuji and Akira looked up to see Kawakami-sensei approaching them. "Study hall will be held instead of PE today. I'm letting you know just in case you haven't heard. Kamoshida-sensei has taken the day off."

Ryuji and Akira looked at each other with wide eyes for a second before Ryuji asked the homeroom teacher, "He ain't here?"

"Don't tell anyone that you heard this from me… But we received word that Kamoshida-sensei is placing himself under suspension. It's such an important time before the tournament too…" Kawakami-sensei agonized to them, "Principal Kobayakawa went to talk to him about it, but he supposedly wasn't making any sense…"

 _That was the kicker._ Ryuji and Akira looked at each other with an expression that only the two of them could read. Happiness? Excitement? Anxiety? Nobody knew, but there is one thing that the two boys _did._ They might’ve done it.

"A suspension?" Akira questioned Kawakami-sensei. She breathed out and put a hand on her hip.

"The talks about your expulsions may be put on hold too… I don't know too much about it though… Anyway, I've relayed what's going on to you."

"Well, it looks like somethin' happened…" Ryuji grinned. He put his chopsticks into the finished bento and passed it over to Akira. "At least it sounds like we didn't get a mental shutdown…"

"Now it's just the waiting game…" Akira spoke softly and took the bento box in his hand. He stared into the red and black handkerchief and sighed. Just a few more days…

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|3:01 PM|April 23rd|**

**Ryuji:** im gettin all antsy from waitin & shit

 **Ryuji:** we should go on a trip or somethin. whaddya think??

 **Ann:** im gonna have to pass on that…

 **Ryuji:** you busy?

 **Ann:** yeah, im planning on visiting shiho in the hospital for the next few days

 **Ann:** i cant do much to help her right now, but itd be nice to see her face at least

 **Ryuji:** gotcha. i hope she wakes up soon.

 **Akira:** go and cheer her up for me! actually, is it okay if i come and see Shiho after school on monday? i want to see her face also

 **Ann:** of course you can come, akira 💞🌸

 **Ann:** im sure shiho would be glad to see you. 😌💞💟💝

 **Ann:** im totally down to go somewhere when this all calms down tho

 **Akira:** no problem!!

 **Ryuji:** i wanna ask if i can come over but i dont know her good enough

 **Ann:** i think she'd be happy! im sure shiho thinks of you well 🤗

 **Ryuji:** alright then i guess ill come over that day

 **Ryuji:** in that case tho wanna hang out today akira?? im workin out and i feel like imma go slow if i do it alone

 **Ryuji:** help me out???

 **Akira:** yup!! i'll come along to help. i need to train my legs to not be spaghetti…

 **Ryuji:** sweet!! meet me behind the gym

 **Ann:** have fun you two!! 💝

 **Akira:** thanks Ann :)

Ryuji was hunched over, his hands on his knees with sweat pouring down his head. "Ugh, dammit! I wanna move better, but I just can't…"

Akira frowned as Ryuji pulled himself up and lifted the bottom of his shirt to his forehead to wipe off his sweat. Ryuji grit his teeth and seethed out, "I was trainin' for the nationals back in the day… but now I totally suck _balls."_

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Akira turned his head to see a trio of boys approach them, all of them wearing their gym uniform. Ryuji's eyes widened as he uttered some of their names, "Nakaoka… Takeishi…"

"…Running, huh? I saw you from the window." Nakaoka leered. Takeshi added on for him. "What, you gonna try to come crawling back to the track team?"

Akira was already sweating, this situation didn't make it any better...

"Huh?" Ryuji exclaimed, "H-hell no…"

"Hmm…" Nakaoka hummed, unsure if he was telling the truth. "…Speaking of which, this was your secret training spot, wasn't it? Well, it's our spot now. You know, us. The former track team."

"We don't even have a locker room anymore, thanks to someone I know." Takeishi seethed to Ryuji. Akira shoved his hands in his pocket and opened his mouth to say something for his silent friend.

"L-let's not fight, okay?"

Ryuji shook his head with his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes were staring straight at the ground. "We ain't fightin'…"

 _"Yeah, right…"_ Akira thought.

"Yeah, this isn't anything like a fight. Not even close," Nakaoka spat. And then he narrowed his eyes and stared at Akira's face. He felt increasingly uncomfortable. "Hold on, aren't you that transfer student? You're really gonna hang around with this loser?"

Akira kept an expressionless face. As soon as you make any sort of emotion, as soon as you give them a reaction, you've lost. He tried pushing back all of his feelings to become an empty shell, but he still felt that burning feeling in his chest that he couldn't describe. Anger? Sadness? He didn't know what it was, but it didn't sit right with him.

"You better watch out. He'll hit you the second he gets pissed off," the other track member accompanying the two snickered. "I heard his dad was the same way. Like father like son, right? Now that's some scary shit."

"That don't got anything to do with this…"

Akira latched onto Ryuji's wrist and looked up with his big eyes. They were shining at him, and he couldn't look away from them.

"Calm down, Ryuji. Don't pay attention to them."

"…You're right," Ryuji whispered to him. His tense shoulders slumped as Akira let go of his wrist. The others looked at Ryuji's sudden change with an aghast expression and heavy breathing. Nakaoka flinched when Ryuji spoke to them, "Look, back then, I…"

"I don't need to hear your excuses," Nakaoka seethed out. Ryuji stayed silent. Akira kept his gaze firm on the three boys standing in front of him.

"Everyone was going through the same bullshit with Kamoshida. The beatings, the impossible exercises… but we put up with all of it for the track team." Nakaoka scrunched his face in anger and walked up to Ryuji, their faces dangerously close to each other. He could feel the rage and hatred seeping off of Nakaoka. "But no. You had to go and fuck all of that up! Man, I was stupid for ever thinking you were my teammate."

"…That's all I have to say to you. I'm outta here," He said before turning his back and waved his hand for the rest of the ex-track team members to follow him. Nakaoka left his clenched fists. He could see his blood vessels popping out.

Akira looked over to Ryuji who was mixed up and blended with guilt, anger, and anxiety served in a hard to swallow smoothie. He could feel the tainted and depraved energy coming out of his mouth. "…I nearly smacked him when he was talkin' about my dad… I haven't changed at all…"

"But y'know… you actually helped me calm down a little. I'm glad you were here with me. You're like the complete opposite of me… you're so calm. But I think I like it better when you're a stutterin' mess!"

"I-I was really close to exploding in anxiety back there, you know? I had to hold it back…" Akira's face lit up red. There was the Akira that Ryuji knew so well. Those pout lips and watery eyes, those red cheeks— he liked hanging out with Akira.

"It's just so much fun teasin' you! It's out of character for you to be so serious! I always get goosebumps when you look so scary in the Metaverse! C'mon, nothin' happened; lighten up!" Ryuji smiled and wrapped his arm around Akira's shoulders. Akira grumbled and covered his face with his hands as Ryuji laughed at him.

"I-is this how you treat someone who gives you l-lunch…?!" Akira blushed. Ryuji cackled louder, but his laughs stopped when they heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"Hey, Nakaoka! Why didn't you kick his ass?!

"…What?"

"The hell's your problem?!"

Ryuji scratched behind his ear and commented, "Now they're just arguing with each other… I should stay out of it."

"That seems to be the best… I-I'll see you later then, Ryuji?"

"Yup, see ya! Nice trainin' with you, man."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira stepped inside to hear the low rumble of Sojiro's voice. "Ah, you're back."

Akira didn't hate Sojiro, he knew that there was a soft underside to him. It was always hard for him to feel comfortable with adults, but he didn't mind Sojiro that much. Morgana quickly hopped up the stairs, stating that he was going to take a quick nap.

His phone rang again and he saw that both Ann and Ryuji were online in the chat. He quickly tapped on the notification on his home screen.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|8:13 PM|April 23rd|**

**Ann:** sooo i went to see shiho today

 **Ann:** i told her that we settled things with kamoshida

 **Ann:** she still hasn't regained consciousness, but i had to make amends

 **Ryuji:** whaddya mean?? you didnt do anythin wrong tho ann…

 **Ryuji:** aint that right akira??

 **Akira:** of course it isn't… its Kamoshida's

 **Ann:** but i wasn't there when she needed help. i'm a failure as a friend…

 **Ann:** i have to do all i can to make up for that, starting now

 **Ann:** otherwise i don't think i'll be able to move on

 **Ryuji:** i cant believe i never noticed how passionate you were till now

 **Ryuji:** i didnt see it in middle school either…

 **Ann:** i think it's because im hanging out with you guys. im a little embarrassed though…

 **Ann:** anyway, i hope we can keep helping each other out from now on also

 **Ann:** i mean, we ARE friends now, right???

 **Akira:** who said we were friends?

 **Akira:** jkjk that was mean. of course we're friends!

 **Ryuji:** dude that was kinda brutal

 **Ann:** my heart… what happened to my sweet aki?!?!?! 🤧😭

 **Akira:** i-i said i was joking!!

 **Ryuji:** hes stuttering through text now?!?!

Akira laughed to himself before Sojiro broke him out of his wonderland by tapping the counter. He looked up to the older man.

"Hey, you got a minute? Something I wanna ask you. C'mere, let's have a chat."

"A-ah, yes. What is it, S-Sojiro-san?" It was still awkward for Akira to say his name, but Sojiro looked more comfortable when he said it without all of the sugarcoating.

"You're free tonight, right? Care to have a little chat with me?" Sojiro asked him. Akira gulped, but Sojiro caught wind of his nervous expression and comforted him. "What, it's just some small talk."

"A-all right… What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"A lot of things, actually. I'm still cleaning up, so just wait there for a second," Sojiro stated while he clattered dishes into the sink and wiped down the bar table with a rag.

"So, how's school? You're not causing any trouble, are you?"

"O-of course not, sir…" He flinched when he realized he instinctively called him 'sir' but it was already too late to take it back.

Sojiro nodded. "Good. I've gotta report to your probation officer twice a month. It's already a pain in the ass as is, so please don't make me have to write even more crap. Got that? This society is kept in check by laws and authority figures."

Ah, that hurt. That really hurt. But Akira stayed quiet. His feelings didn't matter right now. "You can go and get yourself killed if you want, but don't go dragging other people into your mess. The last thing we need is more idiots like you roaming around.

"You should be glad that you still have a chance in the career field you're in. It's a shame a prodigy like you were struck down in an instant, but that's what happens when you get into other people's businesses."

The ringing of Sojiro's phone cut off his speech to Akira, and he sighed in relief. Akira still did not dare to lift his chin and meet Sojiro in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked the person over the line. His tone was sweet and caring, a complete change from the harsh tone Akira was spoken to a moment ago. The man paused for a second and responded quickly. "Yeah, I'm heading out now. Sorry about that. …I know. The usual, right? Okay, I'll see you later."

He hung up on the call and turned back to Akira. He was picking at the skin around his nails, keeping his arms behind his back as he listened to what Sojiro said to him. "As you can see, I'm pretty damn busy both at work and in my private life. If you could lend a hand, it'd be a great help…"

"Yeah, I'd be glad to, Sojiro-san," Akira agreed with a pleasant tone, but he wasn't smiling. He knew that Morgana was probably frowning inside of his bag right now, but he couldn't say anything.

"Now we're talking," Sojiro smirked. "Either way, I won't ask you to work for free. If you agree to help me, then… I'll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Not a bad trade, eh?"

"Umm, I guess so. It sounds interesting."

"All right. Looks like we've got ourselves a deal."

Akira looked up slightly from his glasses and saw a proud smile on his face. He felt like the gap between them was closing, even if it was just by a little.

**_I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Hierophant Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

Akira's eyes were fully pinned onto the card floating above Sojiro's head, his head no longer hanging down.

"I'll be counting on your help," Sojiro told him. Akira spent his time washing up the last of the dishes and scrubbing down the counters. Sojiro had his hat placed atop his head.

"Okay, I'll let you handle the rest," he said. "Gotta say, I'm glad you catch on quick with this stuff. Makes my life a lot easier. Just keep doing what you can. And don't cause any trouble, right?"

"I understand."

"Glad to hear it. For today though, just make sure you lock the place up. And don't go too crazy with the stuff in the shop. You're staying here rent-free, so you should know not to go overboard. All right, see you tomorrow."

Akira smiled and waved to him as he left the door. That smile quickly turned sour. He turned off the water and rubbed them dry and quickly returned upstairs.

"Are you okay, Akira?" Morgana said in almost a whisper. Akira looked at him and frowned with his empty eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay… Sort of."

"Akira…"

Akira shook his head and slapped the sides of his cheeks and smiled at him. "But I'll be fine! It's no big deal."

"…If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. All right, Akira?" Morgana told him as the boy trekked over to his bed and jumped into the blanket.

"I know… Goodnight, Morgana."

"Goodnight, Akira."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira spent the next day all to himself. He had a lot of soft smiles and cute chuckles, and Morgana gave him a toothy grin whenever something funny happened. He chugged some gross juice called Aojiru, shared some food with Morgana, and stood outside of the movie theater. He had never been to one, so his first experience happened that day. He loved the atmosphere of sitting down with friends and stuffing your face with popcorn… He should probably bring the others here sometime.

Akira never took the time to realize how beautiful Tokyo was like in the evening. All of the gorgeous lights, the constant sound of people… It was different from Kyunin-Shutsu.

Yongen-Jaya was a little slice of Tokyo away from the bustle of society. He got a text from Ryuji and he parked himself at the door's entrance to Leblanc, answering the messages before he went inside.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|10:29 PM|April 24th|**

**Ryuji:** you heard anythin about stuff happenin to kamoshida??

 **Akira:** no, not really. why, what's going on?

 **Ryuji:** oh i see

 **Akira:** is everything all right??

 **Ryuji:** i dunno. im feelin kinda anxious

 **Ryuji:** i keep thinkin about how even with all u did… we might still end up gettin expelled

 **Akira:** Ryuji...

 **Ryuji:** my moms totally gonna suffer if that happens…

 **Ryuji:** plus if we couldnt even help ann or suzui…

 **Akira:** we have to believe that we did it, Ryuji. happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

 **Ryuji:** sorry, i guess nows not really the time to be gettin all down in the dumps

 **Ryuji:** anyways, im feeling a little better now that i talked to you about this. i'll be thinkin happy thoughts startin now!!!

 **Ryuji:** oh and dont tell ann i was doubtin us mkay??

 **Ryuji:** she wont have anyone to rely on if we're gettin all worried about this shit

 **Akira:** i promise i won't tell her. pinkie promise

 **Akira:** i'll see you later then, Ryuji???

 **Ryuji:** yeah, i'll see ya later. thanks for lettin me vent to you

 **Akira:** that's what friends do!

April 25th, Monday. The four of them met up at the gates. They were all going to be visiting Shiho today.

Akira arrived at a large hospital, and they all signed in. A visitor's sticker was plastered onto their school uniforms. They walked in to see Shiho's face. Precious, sweet, and _hurt_ Shiho. Her wounds were being properly treated for and her hair fell to her shoulders. They all sat around her and sighed.

"I'm sure she'll wake up. I know she will," Akira assured them. He placed a hand on her bruised and bandaged one, hoping that she didn’t mind him giving her his warmth. "We all have to be strong for when she does wake up."

Akira had so many things to tell her. His thoughts swarmed his head about all the things he wanted to say to her, but he just _couldn't_ while the others were around. It was like a pair of hands with sharp red nails covered his mouth, told him to shut up, and be a good kid. _"I'm sorry. I should've helped you. Are you happy with your decision? Does it still hurt? I want to know how you feel, so I don't make the same mistake. How do I stop feeling like this?"_

_"How do I stop hating myself?"_

"The only thing we _can_ do is be strong. A lot of shit might happen this week, so we gotta prepare for it," Ryuji told all of them. Ann nodded at them. They stayed for an hour or so before they left. Within that hour, Akira couldn't bring up the courage to say anything meaningful. Ryuji, although not very close to Shiho, said a lot of nice things to her.

Ann wanted to spend more time with her, and they went their separate ways.

Akira didn't expect to be outside of the doctor's clinic with his phone in his hand after receiving a few messages from her.

"Well, I'm dipping. I'll be walking around the area for a bit," Morgana told him. Akira whimpered when he opened the door. Takemi smiled at his appearance, the sultry doctor commanding him to go to the back. With hopeless compliance, he entered through the blue steel door.

"…Here you go. I made various adjustments to the previous drug, based on your trial results."

Akira quaked as he looked into the blue liquid that reflected his face to himself. "T-this isn't going to kill me, right?"

She chuckled with a dark expression on her face. "Who knows? Guess you just have to drink it in one gulp." Akira cringed and took a deep breath before taking it down like a shot of vodka. Actually, it sort of _tasted_ like vodka… It was sour and bitter and it overwhelmed him. The stench of it was horrendously atrocious, too.

His breathing was getting heavier and heavier. It was getting hard to inhale and exhale.

When he woke up, he was laying on the bed. Huh? He was upright just a second ago, though.

"…Ah, your reaction to it is absolutely perfect," Takemi-san sighed blissfully. "You feel a bit dazed, hm? Yes, I mixed in some special… components. Okay, let's take your temperature and blood pressure. I'm also going to draw some blood. I also want to perform a few motor skill tests. But those might be too much for you right now.

"Anyway, since we're in the final stages, I should first stabilize the fundamental formula…"

"…Oh, so you ARE here."

Akira sat up at the voice, even though he was still tired. He quickly blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes and made himself appear more presentable. He could feel that trouble was coming, and he prepared himself to help Takemi-san with his smooth talk if it was necessary.

An officer burst into the room and Takemi-san groaned annoyedly. "…I'm in the middle of an examination. I've told you before, Officer. If you want to investigate me, you need to show me a warrant."

"Hmph! I'm here because we received a report. I'll need to see a detailed statement of medical expenses and full medical records. I bet you didn't have enough time to hide any incriminating documents, huh?"

"…Must be under the orders of the Medical Chief of Staff. Here you go." Takemi-san blew her bangs away from her face and put a piece of paper on the desk. The officer inspected it and grunted out in confusion. Takemi-san gave him a sadistic grin. "This kid here is my only patient today. If you're asking for his medical expenses, I'm guessing I'm under suspicion of improper billing? But without a receipt, I'd say you've been sent on a wild goose chase."

He never really ran into people that were this perceptive and cunning outside of the showbiz, so this threw him for a loop. It was most interesting to him.

"Wh-what's going on here?"

Takemi-san looked up to the officer with an uncaring expression. She responded blandly before going back to her checklist for Akira's symptoms, "You're being manipulated. That 'report' is fictitious. It's nothing but an attempt to harass me."

"What?!" The officer exclaimed before turning over to Akira. "…Hey, you! What're you doing here?! You don't seem to be sick… Are you up to something illegal?!"

"I'm just here for a check-up and to also talk with some personal things with Takemi-san here. My heart isn't feeling too good…" Akira lied.

"A-a bad heart?"

"He's stressed about taking his entrance exams. I have some drugs that help with relaxation," Takemi-san told the officer. "So, is there anything else? As you can see, I'm pretty busy here."

"…Fine." The arrogant officer seethed with his arms crossed over his chest. "You're infuriating, you know that? Hmph… but I'd expect nothing less from the "Plague.'"

The officer left after that and a shudder went through Akira's entire body from the interaction. The 'Plague,' huh… Takemi-san was a lot more sketchy than she seemed— or at least she had something behind her cold and rough exterior.

Takemi-san sighed and massaged in between her brows, her heels flying up as she leaned her back into her chair. _"Hahh…_ I'm so over this…"

"I'd say so too."

Takemi-san chuckled and looked at him with prying eyes. The expression he had always seen whenever he was dancing from people in crowds was what Takemi-san was wearing, but she didn’t have any malice inside of her. He could see it in those brown eyes of her that she wasn't like most people. "I think we're going to get along just fine. It's nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was my former superior who made that fake report. You eavesdropped on our conversation last time, remember?

"He's just trying to put pressure on me… by having the police investigate me and my practice."

"I-it seems you have a handful of problems, Takemi-san. Nonetheless, I shall help you with the examinations," Akira asserted. Takemi-san stood up from her chair and went through one of her drawers, taking out a needle to draw blood out of him.

Akira started to take off his jacket and pull up the sleeves of his turtleneck sweater, Takemi sanitized the needle again with a wipe and pulled on gloves. "You're still a weird kid. Anyway, I need to draw some blood. There'll be some mild anemia, but only temporarily. You'll be fine. It's part of our 'deal,' remember?"

"O-of course I remember. No complaints here!"

 _"I've been through worse…"_ Akira thought as Takemi-san wrapped his arm near the pit of his elbow with blue elastic-plastic and poked in the needle. She smiled up at Akira as his blood slowly filled into the vial.

"I like kids who listen to their superiors. Enjoy your medicine."

"Y-yes, thank you…!"

Akira walked out with a gauze taped onto the hole the needle had stabbed through him. He felt like he was a lot more courageous, but it still didn't help that these clinical trials were shady. But even though they looked to be like that, Akira knew that Takemi-san was kind-hearted in her core.

The phone call he got from her after leaving confirmed it to him. She was a great person, she just seemed menacing.

"Hi, my little guinea pig. You get home safely?" 

"Mmhmm! I'm at the door to my place right now. T-thanks for the checkup!"

"Good to hear that you're okay. You were kind of dizzy when you left, so I figured I'd check in. You know how it is. Some patients get sick on their way back home, but I have nothing to worry about. You sound just fine,"  she explained. Akira listened to her patiently, but he knew she was just doing that because she cared.  "…I think you'll be okay, but call me if you start feeling sick." 

"I will, don't worry too much about me Takemi-san. My body is pretty resilient!" He lied. He could feel the psychological slap in his face from the obvious lie. If she knew how often his legs collapsed on him, she'd give him a crash helmet…

"Okay, I'm looking forward to our next clinical trial. See ya." 

"Thank you for checking in, Takemi-san," Akira thanked her before he hung up and walked into the store. He decided to help Sojiro out at the store since the man asked him to help out at the café yesterday (more like demanded it, but he accepted it as a deal.)

Akira put on his apron and pinned his bangs back with a black hair clip. Sojiro looked over at Akira, and he looked more like his idol image without his bangs blocking out the features of his face.

"Now then, since you're gonna be working in my store, I'll need to hammer home the basics…" Sojiro was tough on him, (maybe that was an understatement) but he also seemed incredibly determined to teach Akira. Akira was already relatively good at cooking but he was _not_ a barista in any way. Isn't instant coffee good enough? "The store's not the busiest around, but I'm real particular about how we do things here. And I'll kick you out no questions asked if you serve a bad cup, you got that?"

"U-understood." That's a lot of pressure to put on someone who _just_ started learning how to brew coffee today...

The gaudy customer sitting at one of the booths looked over to Sojiro and grinned. She had a peppy and floral tone. "Let me tell you, So-chan definitely does things right with his coffee. It goes so well with his special curry. I can't help but order the set meal every time."

"What can I say, each of my regulars gets an experience personally tailored to them," Sojiro chuckled bashfully.

_"Ah, so you can have that look on your face also… Wait, So-chan…?"_

Akira's thinking was cut off and he faded back to the conversation. The woman sipped on her coffee delicately and raised her pinky finger. "Can you tell me the key to that wonderful flavor, So-chan? I'd love to make it at home sometime."

Sojiro shook his head, but he still had a grin on his face. Akira was mostly shocked at how relaxed and kind he was with other people. It is just him, huh…? "Sorry, that's a trade secret. You're free to try and guess based on the taste though."

"Cheapskate. Keeping secrets from me even though you know your food's already stolen my heart…"

"How about a nice dessert then? It's only three hundred yen."

 _"Sojiro-san, you're quite the trickster…"_ Akira thought when the woman left with a full belly.

"When you run a shop, you get all sorts of customers," Sojiro told him. "Knowing their personalities is absolutely vital. You're probably already aware of that, though. That's what being in good service is all about."

"I already know how to handle people with a lot of different, u-uhm, _'quirks'_ I should say…"

"Well, the idol industry deals with a lot of people. You're good with people, but it's a bit different for the food industry. You're an idol so the people who visit you already like you. The food business is random, you have to build up that trust," Sojiro explained to him. Akira nodded enthusiastically and peered over the counter when the bell of the door jingled. Sojiro looked over to the door and said, "Welco—"

"You…"

Akira already felt the tension in the air. It was stuffy and it choked with. Akira bit his lip and watched the two men interact. Sojiro's expression soured when he saw the other man, but the cheerful elderly man paid no mind to it. "Hello there! It's been quite a while, Sakura-san! I heard you opened up a shop, so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me though."

"Huh, you've got a real nice location here. Right by the station and everything."

"You're order?" Sojiro growled out. Akira tried to calm the goosebumps on his skin. He could see the thunder and lightning. Sojiro's expression, his threatening voice… It was worse than how Sojiro spoke to him.

"No small talk? That's cold. Oh, but this smell… Sure brings back memories! You're still making that curry, huh? I guess you haven't gotten over her yet…"

"Your order, _sir?"_

 _"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad… Uh, what can I do? Think, think, think…"_ Akira frantically thought, keeping his expression neutral when he had a war going inside of his head. He didn't have anything to help Sojiro with. Wait, unless…

"Haha, so pushy. I just stopped in to say hi today… but I'll be back again soon! Bye."

_"Crisis averted… for now?"_

Sojiro looked stressed, the wrinkles on his forehead becoming deeper. It seemed like he aged five more years. "Ugh… I don't know where he caught wind of this place."

"I didn't like him as soon as he stepped in. He put on that cheerful exterior, but you can see what he's trying to do when you look deeper into his tone of voice," Akira muttered to Sojiro. "He's suspicious."

"Heh, you're really intelligent, you know that? I almost keep forgetting that you're smarter than most of the people I meet." Sojiro scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Anyway, if you have time for questions, you have time to be learning about bean types."

"Aw…" Akira groaned.

He spent the day learning about bean types with Sojiro's reasoning that the ladies would love him even more if he knew about coffee. It wasn't that hard learning about it since Akira picks up on things fast, but he wasn't into the whole 'being popular with ladies' thing. Akira was just glad that he could spend time with Sojiro. The old man gave him a call after he had left to make sure he kept the café in good shape.

Early mornings were always cold, but today was one of those especially cold ones. It had rained a bit during the night, leaving streets wet and the oxygen in the air damp. Ann waved to him and pet his head. "Morning! Crowded as ever today, huh? How do you like being packed in like sardines, city-style? I bet you've had enough."

Akira replied to her, happy with her hand on his hand. "I'm slowly getting used to it, but I feel claustrophobic at times…"

"Yeah, I get that. I'm anxious everywhere I go unless I'm doing something, but I suddenly don't have anything to do but… wait."

"I-it seems like the possible impending doom is getting to all of us… but we have to keep waiting…"

"I know, but waiting for the results is so worrying…" Ann sighed while massaging her fingers into Akira's soft and fluffy hair. She felt better kneading her fingers into Akira's hair. There was just something about Akira that kept her unusually calm. "You're right, though. All we can do is believe and wait. You're sort of like a cat, you're borderline purring."

"I-it just feels pretty nice—!" Akira argued with her, hiding his red ears. Morgana frowned and popped out of Akira's bag.

"P-pet me too, Lady Ann! I'm also super soft!"

"Is that so? Let's check then… Wow, your fur is super silky! It's sort of weird…" Ann said, moving one of her hands to pet Morgana.

"It's because, unlike cats, I enjoy bathing!" Morgana mewled, shoving his head into Ann's head. He was purring loudly, and Akira was worried that people would realize he had been smuggling in a kitty the entire time.

"Oh, looks like the train's here!" Ann exclaimed, the speakers shouting out as it parked itself into the area. Morgana slinked back into the bag and grumbled from the disappointment of not having Ann's soft and smooth hands all over his fur.

Akira studied after school in the library. His pencil flew elegantly across his papers, answering all of the questions to his homework with second-guessing himself. He wanted to have a small study space for himself without being bothered, but he didn't know what he expected…

"Wait, is that guy really going to sit down and study?"

"Maybe… he's more of a serious student than he looks?"

"Whoa, don't stare at him. If your eyes meet, that guy is gonna kill you…"

Akira slammed his head on the desk and groaned, carding his fingers through his hair in an irritated fashion. "I just want to get my homework done…!"

Morgana grumbled, "Sheesh… Can't they take their conversation somewhere else? But hey, good job on not getting discouraged."

"Thanks, Monamona…" Akira whispered out to him, taking a short break to scratch behind his ear. Morgana purred and leaned into his touch. Akira smiled. Despite everything he's been through, he's satisfied living here in Tokyo. It'll get better as he went through the year, he was sure of it.

Akira tried to make coffee at home after Sojiro taught him the ropes. He was so used to having these tube-like packets that he could just rip open and slam into boiled water that using an actual strainer, pot, and beans made him feel like a true professional. Too bad he _wasn't,_ but he was thankful for the high-quality beans saving the taste of his coffee.

"Want to try some?" He offered. Morgana turned his nose up and sniffed the air, contemplating if he wanted a sip of it or not.

"Uh, I'm not sure…"

Akira tried to convince his friend to taste some of it. "I-it isn't bad! It tastes good! It even heals SP!"

"It recovers SP?! When have you been able to see the status and effects of items?" Morgana looked at Akira suspiciously. Akira frowned into his cup as he took a sip. Ah, yeah, definitely saved by the quality of the beans…

"I've been able to see it since I first entered the Metaverse… How come? I-is that bad?"

"No, it's not bad. The others should be able to see it by now, but I don't think they're at the level where they can see the effects of something outside of the Metaverse. We also haven't gone to the Metaverse since Kamoshida, so they wouldn't know."

"Huh… I-I thought I was crazy for being able to see all this stuff…"

"I can see it too, we're probably at the same level if you can also see it outside of the other reality. I think you were able to see it faster due to your special conditions."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Akira agreed. Too bad he wouldn't be able to say that it's actually because he has an ability granted by a long-nosed man that makes him see those things…

Morgana hopped off of the stool he was sat on and leaped onto the countertop. Akira slid his cup to Morgana, and he lapped it up.

"Ah, I can feel the healing properties in it… it's amazing! I can tell you put a lot of love into this," Morgana said, shaking his fur and yawning. _Yawning?_ This is coffee, though…

Sojiro walked in through the door and his eyes widened. Akira quickly shoved Morgana off of the countertop and plucked off any pieces of loose fur that fell on it. Sojiro laughed and twirled his beard.

"Well, it looks like you're doing well. Here, let me have a sip," he asked of him. Akira quickly stuttered in acknowledgment and served him a brand new cup. Sojiro sat down and took a sip of it, smacking his lips together.

"…The beans saved it, huh?"

"Definitely…"

"You used Blue Mountain. The flavor profile is bland, so you should practice more on bringing the roast's full potential," Sojiro criticized. Akira stored the piece of information in his brain and shoved his hands in his pockets. "C-coffee is hard to make… It's even more difficult when you go from instant your entire life to this…"

"Really? I thought that an ido—"

"S-shh! Secret, right?"

"Oh, yeah. You worry too much, nobody is here." Sojiro rolled his eyes. Akira slammed his hands on the table and fired back

"J-just because nobody is here, it doesn't mean somebody isn't _listening…"_

"Jeez, I guess so… But man, you look like a real barista standing behind that counter. If you ever need a job, you can always make coffee for a living," Sojiro recommended. Akira scrunched his nose and shook his head. "I don't think it's for me."

"Stage lights and screaming crowds are more your style, huh?"

"I-in moderation…" Akira stuttered. Sojiro smirked at the kid. His personality was a lot different from the clips on TV and the internet he's seen. It wouldn't change the fact that this kid was an insane prodigy child.

"I can't believe this kid in front of me is a troublemaker with a criminal record… You're too kind for that, maybe to a fault. Be careful to not get manipulated by bad people. I'm pretty sure most of your incidents happened because you couldn't say no, huh?"

"I-I'm trying… If somebody asks me to do something, I feel bad if I don't do it…"

 _"Hahh…_ It just means you're a hard worker, but know when to refuse something. Just keep up your training and if you meet with a few bad people here, maybe you'll get the courage to say 'no' instead of half-assed answers."

Sojiro left after that. Morgana crawled his way back onto the counter and laid down as Akira washed the dishes.

"He is right though, Akira. You're a nice person, but maybe it's too a fault. I don't think there's a single bad bone in your body…"

"People say that a lot about me, and I'm glad I'm not a horrible person, _but…_ I don't know. I feel like I'm the worst person in the world at times, b-but it's nice to be reminded that there are other people out there."

"I bet you'll be fine. I'll be here to support you when your brain exploded from being persuaded by the P-word." Morgana was trying to be supportive, Akira knew that, but Akira's cheeks lit up at the mention of the 'P-word.'

_"Why are you making the P-word a thing…?"_

Akira went through another day of coffee hell. He memorized all of the beans, and when Sojiro quizzed him and he answered correctly, he seemed satisfied. Sojiro's phone rang and he lifted it out of his pocket and held it to his ear.

"Yes, hello?" Sojiro asked. It was silent besides the ticking of the clock. Sojiro's eyes widened and he gnashed his teeth. "…How'd you get this number? Now? Where?"

Akira knew who it was on the other line from Sojiro's reaction, but he said nothing. It wasn't his turn to put it on or do anything, Sojiro knows what he's doing. _Maybe._

"…Fine," Sojiro answered before aggressively tapping in the end call button. He turned to Akira with a slightly pissed off expression, but Akira knew that it wasn't because of himself, so he wasn't offended. "Sorry, something just came up. We can keep going with the lessons some other time."

"That's fine with me, Sojiro-san. But, um… are you in trouble?" Akira fretted. Sojiro snorted and smiled at him. "What, you worried about me?"

"A little bit…"

"See what I mean when I say that you're too kind for your own good? Your kindness makes it so you butt into other people's business… But I appreciate it. It's nothing you need to concern yourself over, let the adult handle it."

"If you say so, Sojiro-san… But if you ever need help, ask me, okay?"

"You're already helping me by working at the store. Keep it up, okay? Also, drop the honorific. I told you to call me by my first name, but you still don't drop it?"

"W-well, um… I-if somebody says that I should call them by their first name, it doesn't mean that I drop the honorific as well…"

"Are you always like that? Heh, drop the honorific then. Remember to do the dishes. Oh, and shut off the gas before you close up the shop. I'm gonna head out."

"Have a nice night, Sojiro!" Akira waved to Sojiro as he took off his apron and fitted his hat on top of his head. His jacket was tossed over his shoulder as he left the store.

"Take care, kid."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"What's bonkin'..." Ryuji greeted him tiredly in the morning.

_"Pfft…!"_

_"It's not that funny!"_ Ryuji yelled at him for snorting at his phrase.

"S-sorry, sorry…!" Akira apologized, holding down the rumbling coming up from his chest. Ryuji sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He kicked the floor and observed the other students lining up for the train, catching the sight of a pretty red bow as he scanned the crowd.

"But Kamoshida… he really had a change of heart for real, didn't he? It's kinda hard to believe right now…" Ryuji moaned in pain at the thought of what'll happen if they didn't. "I'm gonna cry if we still get expelled after all this."

"H-happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts! If you think that we'll get expelled we really will be!" Akira encouraged him, "So don't lose hope!"

"You're a ball of sunshine in the mornin', aren'tcha…? But yeah, we have to stay confident! C'mon, c'mon, I gotta smile more!" Ryuji pinched his cheeks out before he slapped them. He left red imprints on his face and he let out a large groan to get rid of all of his frustrations. "Oh! Right, are you free today? If you're free after school, we can hang out. It's not that I got somethin' to say, but talkin' helps the nerves out, you know?"

"I think that's a good idea… I'll see you after school then?"

"Hell yeah!"

Ryuji and Akira went out with each other with the promise of a great ramen place in Ogikubo. Ryuji dragged him around the train system because he still didn't have an idea of how they worked ninety percent of the time.

The ramen shop was quaint and a bit run down, but the ramen _itself?_ It was pretty good, but Akira wasn't a connoisseur when it came to food. He liked making it but eating it always made him queasy. His feet floated above the ground and he swung them about. Ryuji's legs were planted on the ground, but he kept his right leg active by shaking it.

"Ahhh! I love the feelin' of noodles slidin' down my throat! Sweat drippin' over my face! Hey, how you likin' the ramen? You got the spicy miso, right?" Ryuji inquired. Akira's bowl was dyed in _red._ Ryuji could smell the red peppers breathing death into the establishment, but Akira was eating it like it was nothing.

"It's really good! I usually don't eat unhealthy and greasy foods, but it's fine once in a while."

"This shit's the best, man! Ramen is life for me, but _damn_ dude… How the hell can you eat that? I can't, I start cryin' at the first slurp… The light soup is better after a run so I don't feel like shit."

"Really? This isn't spicy, though. It has a kick, but it isn't spicy…"

"What kind of 'effin tongue palette do you have? Jeez, you remind me of…" Ryuji snickered before realizing what he was about to say next. The hearty and goofy smirk on his face disappeared when he realized what he was about to say. "Uh, I guess that's all in the past… By the way, I've seen Nakaoka around a few times…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. But for some reason it don't look like he's gettin' along with the others," Ryuji sighed, picking at his ramen slowly. Akira lifted his chopsticks into his mouth, his accent coming out with his mouth full.

"Are you worried about him?"

"Yeah… kinda," Ryuji mumbled with downcast eyes. "I've been thinkin' about what he said… How the whole track team was puttin' up with Kamoshida's shit… and how I effed it all up for 'em…"

"…I think he was right," Ryuji grieved. "They don’t even got a club room anymore, so they've been storin' all their stuff behind the gym. They can't use any school gear either, so they just run laps around the block for practice. …There ain't really a place for outcasts like that. I should know that better than anyone…

"It's good they're keepin' their heads lie now though. I don't want 'em endin' up like me."

"R-remember when I said to think happy thoughts?" Akira smiled at him. He tapped Ryuji's nose with his index finger and the boy flinched from the sudden action. "You're doing great, Ryuji. I hope you know that."

"…Yeah. Y'know what? Yeah! You're right!" Ryuji giggled. Akira didn't notice the slight flush across his face. "I guess now that I'm thinkin' about it, tryin' to fit in is a real pain in the ass. I mean, I'd never've met you guys if I wasn't an outcast, right? So, uh… it's all good.

"For real though, it's been a shit ton of fun! Hangin' out with you guys is so freakin' cool!"

Akira laughed at Ryuji's enthusiasm. "That's a better way to think! We should live positively. Even after everything that's happened to us, I want to continue living like this. It's really fun hanging out with you too, Ryuji!"

Akira had never thought about living life without feeling that overwhelming cloud of depression drift over him, but it's been better these days. Ann, Ryuji, Morgana… they made his life feel a lot more fulfilling. He never had anybody to talk with before, but now he felt like maybe… Maybe happiness had meaning.

"I just hope there's something I can do to help those track guys. Though it'd prolly mess 'em up if I tried to butt in…" Ryuji mused. "Oh yeah, we still gotta find a new spot for our trainin'. Hm… I'll think about it. No slackin' off 'til then, mkay?"

"Okie dokie!"

 _"Pfft…_ 'Okie dokie…'!"

"S-shhhh!"

They left after they finished their ramen, and Akira yawned when he stepped back into Yongen-Jaya. The quiet sounds of the city and the wet ground made it all so pleasant. He started humming to himself and tapped his fingers on the side of his hip. He needed to start writing down his music…

He pulled out his phone and pulled up a note app.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asked him. Akira whistled a tune at first and then started writing down lyrics.

"Nothing much. I'm just in a rainy mood. I like being here out at night when the weather is like this," Akira said. Morgana nodded and stepped out of his bag. Akira was sitting on the ground with one earbud in his left, listening to the sounds of talking.

"You're a mysterious person, Akira. I feel like I'm learning more about you every day, but I also feel like I'm not reaching anywhere."

"W-well, what do you want to know about me? I'll answer some."

"Hmmmm… What's your favorite food? Oh, and color!" Morgana asked him. He hadn't thought about what he liked before coming here. He always said he liked takoyaki because he didn't have anything else to say, but he actually liked…

"Kimchi stew. I also like the color red. I'm not very particular with foods and things like that. I've never thought about what I liked until I came here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Akira tried to think of what to say without giving away too much about himself. "I always lived to make other people happy. I hate it when people hate me or think of me badly. That's why when my record was leaked, I felt like my world was ending. But now… I'm trying to break out of that habit. I can't make everybody happy and I know that, but… just because I know it, it doesn't make me stop.

"That's why I'm hoping that just for once… Maybe I can live for myself. Just for a year. If I want to eat, I'll eat. If I want to read, I'll read. If I want to laugh, I'll laugh. Things like that. I've always pushed down whatever I wanted for the sake of others, but seeing you guys do whatever you want without any regrets… I want to be like that."

"Is that why you're so weak to the P-word? Because… you've always done what people tell you to do?"

"Y-yeah…"

"It's time to live for yourself now, Akira. You're a phantom thief now! Do what you want without and live happily. I think all of us want that for you," Morgana meowed to him. Akira's eyes widened and he blushed, glad that Morgana was so understanding and supportive.

Both Morgana and Akira sat there for who knows long, breathing in the cold midnight air. Akira caressed Morgana's silky fur and listened to his music. Soft, calming, floating away. It felt nice to finally tell somebody about himself, even if it wasn't everything.

Akira looked down to his lap and saw Morgana purring in it, his tail beating against the cold concrete floor. He smiled to himself. Just for one year, just for once, and then it'd all go back to how it was.

They talked about what Akira liked and why he liked it the entire night. He liked kids, he liked jewelry and pretty clothing, he liked cooking, he liked singing and dancing, he liked fun and supportive people; he liked a lot of things.

"Do you have anything you hate?" Morgana asked him.

"Bad adults."

"Well, besides that," Morgana laughed. Akira contemplated, a long 'ummm' coming from his mouth.

"…After hanging out with Ryuji, I found out that I don't really like running?"

"Why don't you tell Ryuji that, then?"

"Well, I don't want to hurt his feelings…! I don't want our relationship with each other to suddenly flop over because I don't like running and he does, but I like hanging out with him, so what if h—"

"Ah-ah!" Morgana uncurled himself and put a paw on Akira's mouth to shut him up. "You said you want to be your own person, right? You said that you don't like running, so say it straight!"

"B-but—"

_"Kurusu Akira!"_

"D-don't say my full name! You sound angry…!"

"Just tell him! Send him a quick text! Akira, he isn't going to stop hanging out with you just because you don't like running. He likes hanging out with you because you're _you."_

"…" Akira silently and slowly pulled out his phone and hovered over the message bar for Ryuji's contact. His thumbs were twitching over the name.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|11:16 PM|April 28th|**

**《Kurusu Akira is typing…》**

His hands were clammy. He could feel the beads of sweat form on his forehead. Morgana sat down in his lap and stared at his phone with him.

"You can do it! C'mon, I believe in you!"

"Eerghhh!" Akira yelped out, quickly typing out a fast and frantic message before sending it and slamming his phone screen down on the ground. He covered his face up quickly with his arms. He lit up like a lamp, face red as a tomato. Akira curled his legs up to his chest and Morgana jumped out before he could be crushed.

"He's going to hate me, he's going to hate me, he's going to hate me, he's going to hate me, _he's going to hate me!"_

"You're overreacting! He's not going to hate you for not liking something that he likes!"

"B-but what if h-he does—!"

_Ping!_

His phone notified him that he had a new text. Akira swallowed his saliva and hesitantly reached out for his phone. His arm was shaking and he brought it up to his face.

_"Huh…?"_

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|11:18 PM|April 28th|**

**Akira:** i realized i font really liek runnign

 **Ryuji:** GAHAHAHAHAH

 **Ryuji:** dude i can feel ur anxiety through text!!!

 **Ryuji:** its all good yknow lol i'll consider that for when i look for a new trainin spot

 **Ryuji:** we can incorporate different workouts if you want?? i dont wanna make ya feel pressured to run or anythin

 **Ryuji:** we're friends for a reason!! talk to me if you don't like somethin!!

"You see, Akira? You were overreacting! Ryuji wouldn't abandon you because you don't like doing something he likes. Would you abandon Ryuji if he liked something you don't?"

"…No."

"You have your answer," Morgana said to him proudly. Akira's terrified expression turned into glee and he quickly texted Ryuji back.

**Akira:** okay!! i'll come up with some other workout stuff we can do!!

 **Ryuji:** awesome!! im excited to see what we do

 **Ryuji:** i'll catch ya later then.

 **Akira:** yeah! i'll see you later

Akira waa giddy. His entire body started vibrating as if he drank seven cups of coffee. "Hey, Morgana, want to know something else that I like?"

"You thought of another one? Well, throw it at me."

Akira grinned and held Morgana close to him.

"I like you, Morgana!"

 _"Where did that come from?!"_ Morgana screeched at him. Akira laughed and ruffled his fur.

"No, but seriously Morgana… Thank you."

Morgana flicked his ear and tilted his head. "For what?"

"For listening to me… and helping me out. You're the best, you know that?"

Morgana's eyes widened and he cleared his throat, his tail swishing vigorously behind him. "O-of course I'm the best! I am _Morgana_ after all! But helping you out just now… That wasn't me. That was you."

"Huh?"

"I just gave you a little push. You were already on the right track. You did that all yourself, Akira. Good job. I'm proud of you."

_"What is this feeling? Why does my chest ache? Why do I feel like I'm burning up?"_

Akira didn't have an answer, but he didn't care anymore. He hugged Morgana close to him and smiled into his soft and clean fur. "Thank you, Morgana… I— I think I needed to hear that…"

Morgana said nothing, but his actions spoke more than words. He pressed his face against Akira's cheek and smiled back.

"You can do whatever you want to do, Akira. You can even stand up for yourself now. All you need to do is think happy thoughts and it'll come true. Isn't that what you said earlier?"

"Yeah… Yeah. I'll just think happy thoughts then."

This year was going to be amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have an update schedule!!! wooo :))) expect frequent chapters now


	13. Chapter 11: A Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day is awaited and nervous day of the board meeting where they'll be expelled… But it doesn't seem to happen.

Weekends were a saving grace for Akira; except for the fact that medical procedures and bad medicine ended any positive outlook for them.

"Here you go… The effects should be instant this time," Takemi-san handed him a plastic cup filled with a yellow substance. Akira took in a deep breath and chugged it down. He thought he'd be used to this by now, but that was wishful thinking. After he drank it, he didn't feel that different. Takemi-san leaned near him and inspected any tell-tale signs.

"…Let's see. Eyes are focused. Look this way. One, two, three, four…" She counted out. "…Nothing yet, huh?"

"Not ye—"

She jinxed it. The inside of his mouth felt like it was on fire, and his nose felt itchy. Akira started panting like a dog to get rid of the heat rising through his throat, but it didn't do anything. Takemi-san smirked and clicked the back of her pen.

"Oh, there it is. The inhibitory effect is just as I had hoped."

"I-inhibitory effect…?" Akira rasped out. It sounded like had lost his voice… _several times._

"Your weight was primarily the reason it took longer to kick in than expected… Yes, this is what I expected from a teenager," Takemi-san said to him. "We're making great progress. Practice makes perfect, right? Okay, hold tight. Once I compile all the data, we can move on…"

Akira coughed as the phone rang. Takemi-san's skinny fingers reached for the phone and she put it up to her ear. "Hello, Takemi Medical Clinic of Internal Medicine. How can I help you?"

"…An emergency, huh? But we're not a designated hospital. Besides, the head physician here is Tae Takemi," she explained. After she said that her eyes widened. "Ah…?"

He held the phone out and she sighed. "…Awfully rude, just hanging up on a lady like that."

"Was it an emergency…?"

Takemi-san shook her head. "Oh, don't worry about it. An ambulance driver was looking for a transfer location. All the designated hospitals are full. But to think they'd accidentally call a general practitioner… Must've been a new paramedic. He seemed to at least know my name though."

"Eh? Why?" Akira asked. Takemi-san tapped her pen against her desk.

"I've been blacklisted by the larger medical community. They call me the Plague… due to a grave medical error I made."

"What do you mean by that? A medical error?"

"This goes back to my old job… I used to work at a university hospital in the city. I was never actually convicted of anything, but I'm still considered a pariah in the medical industry.

"…Does that scare you? Participating in clinical trials run by a doctor like that?"

"…I don't mind. I mean, I haven't died yet," Akira responded. Takemi-san gave a sultry chuckle, "…You seriously are one strange kid. Well, that's fine. Being ostracized has enabled me to focus on my own research and development. Regardless, I look forward to working with you. I'll be sure to ass some additional 'medicine' for you, my little guinea pig."

"Ahaha… Thank you, Takemi-san," Akira chuckled awkwardly. The phone rang once again. Takemi-san sighed and lazily reached out for the phone again. "Hello, Dr. Takemi's Clinic of Internal Medicine…"

"Huh? One order of teriyaki chicken?"

Akira couldn't contain the laugh that came out of his mouth, but he quickly covered his expression with his long sleeves. Takemi-san glared at him before slamming the phone down back into its confines.

"…You're all good for today. You can go home now," she told him. Akira cleared his throat to push down his snickers and stuttered out, "S-sorry…!"

"It's fine, just get some rest. Come back again… if you aren't dead by then."

Akira smiled, but he knew that Takemi-san was joking. _He hoped so, at least…_

He spent his night working on the lyrics for his new song. Akira could imagine what it'd sound like, but there was no way he could produce it without the necessary tools. He needed to get a laptop soon or else the steam and inspiration he had would die out.

"What are you even working on? I hear you humming a lot," Morgana asked him. He was sitting on top of the workshop desk, licking away the loose strands of hair.

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking to myself." Akira hummed again. "Want to go out? I want to visit the batting cages nearby. Maybe it'll give me ideas for what to do with Ryuji when we meet next time."

"Ooh! That sounds like fun! Can we get sushi after?" Morgana jumped down as Akira pushed himself off of his bed. Morgana quickly moved into the bag, and Akira slung it over his shoulder.

"If my wallet is up for it… I have fifty thousand yen right now… W-we can go for conveyor belt?" Akira asked. Morgana nodded and swung his tail. "Good enough for me!"

Akira was inside of the batting cages, his jacket tied around his waist. He had a white button-up and black shorts with suspenders. Inside of his hands was a metal bat. He let out a breath of hot air and spread his feet out.

"You can hit it, Akira!" Morgana cheered him on. Akira bit his lip and.

He felt something fly straight past his head. When he slowly turned his eyes to the ground, a ball was rolling across the floor.

 _"F-fast! Super fast!"_ Akira screamed in his head. Akira breathed in and prepared for the next ball.

He felt like he was cheating when he was able to see the trajectory of the ball with his third eye. His eyes had a red glint before he smashed the bat into the ball and watched it sore into the area above. It didn't hit the homerun target, but he made it. Akira turned to Morgana with a smile on his face.

"Hey! Look, Morgana, I did it—"

Akira felt a blunt punch to the back of his head and he felt himself falling towards the ground. Akira gasped at the shock, but—

"AKIRA!"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"What happened?" Sojiro asked him with a stern voice.

Akira was sitting on one of the booth's seats and his legs faced towards the walkway. Sojiro kneeled in front of him and unpeeled a bandage.

Akira's nose was stuffed with tissue and he patted away the remaining smudges of blood on the top of his lip. His knees were also slightly scuffed. Morgana was snickering at him from inside the bag.

"…I was at the batting cages. I-I turned around for one second, and the ball hit the back of my head…"

"Causing you to fall flat on your face?"

Akira stayed silent. Sojiro groaned in disappointment and snapped the first-aid kit shut. Peach colored bandages were wrapped onto his knees after they were disinfected.

"You're too careless, kid. You gotta be more careful. I can't take care of you every time you get an injury!" Sojiro scolded him. Akira whimpered and twirled the bloodied tissue inside of his nose.

"S-sorry, Sojiro…"

Sojiro scratched his neck and groaned when he lifted himself to his feet. "Just be careful next time. I'm heading home for the night. Wait until it clots and then you can take the tissue out."

"Yes, sir…" Akira sighed as the man left the café. Morgana leaped out of his bag and sat down on the table in front of Akira.

"You need to be more careful, Akira… You're always clumsy! A phantom thief needs to be classy and agile!"

"I-I don't think I fit in with that definition…" Akira muttered to him. Morgana tapped a paw onto his cheek and squished his face with it.

"Then do your best!" Morgana encouraged him. "I'm sure your knees are stinging. They should get better with a good night's sleep."

"Are you just my reverse alarm clock now…?"

"With the way I've seen you act, if you didn't have me around you'd be staying up until 5 AM every single time."

"Erk…!" It was true though. Morgana was currently his best impulse control since Akira didn't know how to do things by himself. Morgana helped him a lot with that so he could work as a functioning person in society. "Oh, and sorry that we didn't get to eat sushi… I ruined it, didn't I…?"

"Don't put yourself down too much, Akira. Come on, up to bed! Hurry it up, or else tour knees are going to start stinging!"

Akira waited for the train in the morning and scrolled through his phone. There were a lot of articles in Japanese about him and his entertainment agency. With multiple headlines that said something along the lines of  Moon Yejun Status Unknown? 

_"Is my return that important? My company released a statement that it'd be a year…"_ Akira thought, quickly scrolling through his inbox to see an unopened email. He cringed when he scrolled through the contents. It said that they needed to meet up tomorrow… This email was sent _a week ago._ Akira was glad that Morgana wasn't paying attention, but still, how did he not see this email earlier…?

"Morning."

Akira turned his head over to Ann and quickly deleted his tabs and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Morning, Ann!"

Ann mumbled dejectedly, "The board meeting is the day after tomorrow. I wonder if Kamoshida really had a change of heart…"

"W-wait, it's already that close…? I swear it felt like just yesterday when we defeated his Shadow…"

"I've been worrying if we failed… That's the only thing I've been able to think about… I'm glad you're pretty carefree."

"Carefree enough to smack your face into the floor," Morgana joked to them. His ears popped out of the bag and he played the zipper with his paw. "We shouldn't worry too much. We just have to believe we did it."

"Y-yeah, it's all we can do. The reason why I'm not worried about it is that… I'm confident in us. I'm sure we did it," Akira said. Ann crossed her arms and sighed, a worried wrinkle still on her forehead.

"I feel better from you saying that… You're great moral support. I don't think I'd be sane if it was just me, Ryuji, and Morgana going into that Palace."

"I-I'm glad you t-think of me as that…" Akira blushed. Ann smiled and played with his hair. She really liked doing that, didn't she…?

"There's just something about you, Aki! You feel special! After our break, we'll be able to laugh together!"

As the day passed by, he was thinking about the email. Gosh, he needed to visit the building in Roppongi… but how can he go if Morgana is with him?

"Nervous for your first day of work?" Morgana asked him. Akira was standing outside of the convenience store. "Don't worry, I'll be here to help you!"

"Y-yeah, just a bit nervous… All right, here it goes," Akira lied and walked through the doors.

The uniform was a disaster to look at, but he kind of needed a job and some money right now…

The work didn't seem too hard. It was mostly scanning items, talking to customers… that sort of thing. He had experience from the flower shop he worked at, but convenience stores have an entirely different environment.

His coworker introduced themself as Shibuya Nanami. Shibuya-san taught him the ropes and he picked up on it quickly. His work seemed pretty simple, so he'd do what he could.

On another empty bathhouse day in Yongen-Jaya, Morgana simmered with him in the large stone tub. Akira was worried at first that he'd burn inside of the bath, but he changed the temperature so it was nice for both of them.

"I realized that you're good at a lot of things, Akira. You pick up on things fast and you're super smart, but…"

"B-but what?"

"…I don't know. There's just something about you that feels _off._ You have difficulties trusting other people, and you keep a lot of things secret," Morgana said to him. "It feels like everything you say feels planned…"

"…I-I'm not sure how to respond to that… I mean, you basically just called me a liar…"

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"I-I know you didn't. Actually, you're sort of right," Akira said to him. The sound of running water was pleasant and the cold open air contrasted against the hot steam. "I-I've never really been the type of person to have friends. All of you guys are the first ones I've had."

"Really…?"

"Mmm. That's why I don't know how to treat you guys. My entire life, I've treated everyone the same. I treat them as if they're… people, I guess," Akira sighed. As people, huh? No, it was worse than that. His entire life he's seen people like spiders, where he's a simple insect meant to feed them and their desires. "For the first time, people respect me for me. They don’t tell me I look too girly… Or that I'm ugly. That I'm too skinny, that I should try harder, that I should be quiet and do what they say…"

"It's weird for people to not tell me what to do."

"Then you'll have to work up to that. Oh, huh… I guess I'm telling you what to do right now, huh? Hahaha… that isn't funny…" Morgana gurgled under the water. Akira smiled at the bubbles forming. He didn't think that a cat's body could do that. "Freewill is a really weird thing. People become distorted and they form Palaces because of what they think they're able to do. They choose that path to go down, even if other people tell them they shouldn't. Freewill also drives society to create new things and innovate. That's what free will is."

Morgana turned his face to Akira. All of his furs were scraggly. It was kind of cute… "What do you want to do?"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean 'huh'? I asked you what you want to do. Without my input, of course."

"…I don't know. I guess that I'm hungry…"

"Aha! So you do know what you want to do! What do you want to eat?"

"…Sojiro's curry…"

"Then let's hurry there to eat his curry! Come on!" Morgana blurted, flying through the sky. Hot water sloshed outside of the bath as Morgana made his escape to the shower area. "Hurry, hurry! You want to eat Sojiro's curry, right?"

"W-wait, hold on!"

Akira ate Sojiro's curry when they got out. His skin was still red from the hot bath, but he looked so happy to shove spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. So this is what it felt like to do what you want when you want… Without being pressured and without people telling you to stop it.

"You eat this almost every day, kid. How the hell are you craving it at"— Sojiro looked at the clock— "10 PM?"

"I don't know… I just got hungry," Akira giggled and scratched behind Morgana's ear. It was still going to be hard getting used to this. Heck, he might not even be able to do what he wants to do without any input at all this year, but he took the next step to get there.

The next morning, Akira scratched behind Morgana's head with a smile. "Morgana, is it okay if I go out by myself today? I'm looking for a bit of alone time."

Morgana cried out, his voice wobbling from the force that Akira pet him at, "W-why d-do you w-wanna g-g-go?" Akira's hands stopped and he dropped his face down to Morgana's level.

"Didn't you say that I should start deciding things for myself? I-I want to go out! By myself!"

"You won't get lost on the trains?"

"Nope!"

"Get hurt?"

"N-no…?"

"Get kidnapped and sold?"

 _"I-I think you're a bit too worried…"_ Akira chuckled. Morgana sighed.

"Okay, okay… I'll be spending my time in Yongen-Jaya. Don't stay out too late!" Morgana said to him. Akira quickly pulled on some white socks and put his bag over his shoulder. He wore loose fit clothing, but it was stylish. He tapped on his sneakers and waved goodbye to Morgana.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Sojiro asked him when he wandered downstairs. Akira cleared his throat and implied what he was going to do. A customer was sitting at one of the tables so he was being _extremely_ cautious.

"I'm going to _that._ Y-you know? _That."_

"That…? _Oh,_ well, good luck. Don't get in trouble."

"I won't! Please excuse me!" Akira said, leaving through the door. He pulled his phone out and quickly sent an email to his manager before hiding away in an alleyway.

He parted his hair and took off his glasses, storing it inside of his bag. He pulled a black cloth face mask onto his face and inserted earrings into his lobes and upper ear. Akira looked like a completely different person. He was Moon Yejun right now.

Akira shook his head. _"No, I'm myself. This is who I am, there is no difference. There shouldn't be a difference. I'm Kurusu Akira."_

He took the train and felt stares on him everywhere he went. Akira wasn't sure they were peering at him because they recognized him or that they assumed he's a teenage delinquent because of his piercings and clothing. Akira fixed the wrinkles on his white shirt and smoothed out his black sweatpants.

Roppongi is where his agency was at. YUMEMI Entertainment, responsible for idols, actors, and models. Akira was a soloist and he took pride in producing his own work and coming up with his own choreography, but occasionally he was paired with other talented producers.

"Is that Moon Yejun?! I thought he was on break, why is he at the headquarters?"

"Maybe to just check-in? Oh gosh, should I ask him for an autograph?"

Akira walked into the building and drowned out the noise. He already knew where he was going since it was always the same place, but the elevator ride was painful. He felt the humming underneath his feet, the dinging of the elevator as he ascended higher and higher up. He was on level eleven when the elevator stopped and ringed. Akira cleared his throat. "Ah ah… Ah!"

His voice… it was grainy. It made sense. He hadn't sung in a while, he always talked quietly, he screamed a lot when beating up Shadows, and when…

_Kamoshida growled, reaching his hand out and locked the door. Akira was ready to bolt, ready to save himself. "Life isn't sugar and candy."_

Akira gagged and covered his mouth at the memory. His eyes snapped shut and he shook his head and slammed the sides of his fists against the wall. He inched out of the elevator and took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and cleared his throat. Get over it Akira. Just forget about it, it didn't happen.

He kept slamming his fist until the memory of it faded from his mind.

"J-just this door… Just this door and y-you'll be safe…"

He opened the door with a glass pane in it and saw his manager inside.

"Oh, there you are Yejun. You're a bit late, but that's all right."

"I-I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I didn't calculate the train times correctly…" Akira bowed to apologize, but he couldn't wipe away that sickly feeling in his stomach.

"I said it's just fine! Don't worry about it too much! We're mostly here today to check up on you and discuss any problems," his manager said to him. "This is a dance room, so just sit wherever you'd like. Or you can stand if you'd prefer that."

"I-I'll be sitting. Thank you for your hard work, Nagafuji-san."

He sat himself down on the sleek stone flooring and pushed his bangs away. His manager was a middle-aged man wearing a black suit. He was kind and understanding, but he could also be harsh.

"I'm going to get straight to the point Moon Yejun— you're on a thin line. We're taking the risk of keeping you in the company although you have a criminal record. If it's ever leaked, our company will have a bad name."

"T-then… Then why are you trying to keep me if it's so bad…?"

"Because we trust you to do good, and we trust none of this to leak out," Nagafuji-san continued. "Yejun— No, Kurusu Yejun Akira, you're impertinent to this company. You're incredibly talented, and we aren't going to let you suffer because of one bad thing. You have so much potential."

"That's why we want you to work hard as an individual and do your best because we know you can reach those limits. I'm not putting up unreasonable expectations to say that you're an incredible person."

Akira thought of this as a lie. It felt like Nagafuji-sab was lying straight to his face, but he couldn't see the face he had on. _Huh?_ Did he… Did he get worse at reading people's emotions? He can't tell if he's lying. Not only that, but Akira is speechless. Usually, Akira always has something to say back because it leaves an impression, but for once… He can't speak.

"You're at a loss for words, huh? This is the first time I've seen you with that look in your eye… You always seemed unsatisfied and dull, but I can see a spark in there now. I wonder if you getting a criminal record is a good thing?"

Akira shook his head and laughed pitifully. "I still have a lot to go… I'm not even close to who I want to be, but hearing you say that makes me want to work harder…"

"Then are you ready for a day of vigorous training?" Nagafuji-san crossed his arms and smirked as Akira brought himself up to his feet.

 _"Yeah, that's right. I can do better— I can be better! This situation seems like the worst thing to happen to me, but…"_ Akira saw their faces in front of them, laughing and reaching out for them to join. Akira smiled at the thought, _"I wouldn't have met them."_

Akira danced and sang for who knows how long. He wanted to work hard to better himself and show Kamoshida that he isn't some spoiled brat that only knows how to please people. He wanted to be more than that; he wanted to be himself.

Nagafuji-san had a fatherly grin on his face the entire time, even if Akira's vocal cords and dancing skills were a bit rusty. For the first time, he saw Akira's light up. They were always dark and dusty, mysterious and cunning, but now they seemed more friendly and kind. He wondered if something significant happened.

On the first of every month (excluding any holidays like New Years,) Akira would come to the main headquarters to check up on his progress. Besides that, he's to work on his talents by himself. Akira was glad that it wasn't frequent that he had to visit his manager because then maybe his friends would start getting suspicious…

He quickly changed his appearance before going back home to Leblanc. He came back haggard in the afternoon and sighed out, slumping himself on one of the seats. Sojiro served him…

"Sojiro, this isn't coffee…?" Akira murmured out tiredly, blinking his eyes tiredly and taking the cup to his nose. Sojiro wiped down the counter and explained, "I've decided to not serve you any coffee. It'll stunt your growth."

"M-my growing period is already over… but thank you…" Akira took a sip of the hot chocolate in front of him and moaned. Ah, this tasted great after a day's work.

After he finished his cup, he stumbled up the stairs. Morgana was rolling around in the blankets of his bed. When he heard creaking up the stairs, his ears perked up and he saw Akira walking up. "Akira!"

Morgana jumped off the bed and ran to his feet. Akira gave him a smile and pet under his chin. "I'm home, Morgana."

"What did you do? Have fun?"

"Yeah, I had lots of fun. Thanks for asking. What about you? I feel bad for leaving you behind because there isn't much to do… I'm sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for? I said you can go out by yourself if you wanted! I mostly just slept and lounged around, don't worry about it."

"Well, if you say so…"

Akira's phone rang. He pulled it out and sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. Morgana sat in between them as he showed off his phone. "I almost forgot that tomorrow is the board meeting… We should be fine though, Akira."

"I-I hope…"

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|6:25 PM|May 1st|**

**Ann:** the board meetings tmrw right??

 **Ryuji:** we're gonna get expelled if kamoshida doesnt have a change of heart by then

 **Akira:** i'm sure he'll have a change of heart! let's not worry about it too much.

 **Ann:** yeah, he'll definitely change. i mean it'd be a real problem for us if he didn't

 **Ryuji:** ur right…

 **Ryuji:** its a lil too early to be givin up now

 **Ryuji:** guess we're gonna find out one way or another tmrw

 **Ryuji:** we just gotta brace ourselves for all the possibilities

"I can't offer any more reassurance, but he should have a change of heart. We just have to believe in that while we wait for tomorrow," Morgana meowed up to him. Akira pouted and wrapped his arms around Morgana.

"I hope everything is going to be okay…" Akira muttered.

The next day, Akira was sweating at what might happen. To everyone else, it was a normal day, but this would decide their fate. Mishima walked behind him when they walked to the school gate, and he saw his depressed and tense demeanor. Even the atmosphere was tense, yet nobody seemed to notice it. Akira crossed his fingers and prayed for the best. Please, _please…_

There was a sudden morning assembly, and all of the students attended. Akira wanted to stand next to Ann during this, but the lineup prevented them from doing so. They looked nervously between each other and threw glances of uncertainty. Akira was struggling to not scratch off all of his skin from the stress of it, so he ended up tapping his foot the entire time. He overheard an exchange between two girls around him, a brown-haired student spoke up first.

"What's with the sudden morning assembly?"

"I bet it's about that girl that jumped a few weeks ago…"

"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide."

"There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?"

Ann held back a hiss from their comments and watched as Principal Kobayakawa walked up to the podium and tapped the microphone before announcing, "Let's begin the school-wide morning assembly. As you all know, a tragic event took place a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, we have been informed that she pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers. Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore that you rethink the importance of life and—"

The loud squeak of a door made them turn their heads. Akira's eyes widened when he saw who it was and his legs started shaking.

Principal Kobayakawa squeezed his large hands on the podium and spoke, "Kamoshida-sensei, what's the—"

"I… have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all…"

Akira couldn't stop shaking. He tried his hardest to stop so people wouldn't get suspicious of him, but he couldn't stop it. Ryuji put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with sympathetic eyes. His trembling stopped when he looked at his face.

Kamoshida walked up onto the stage with a sullen and hunched over posture, his eyes were empty and his lips trembled. "I have repeatedly done things that were… unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students… physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Suzui Shiho tried to kill herself! Not only that, but I succumbed to my lust and sexually assaulted a male student in this school…"

He slammed himself down onto his knees and bent over, his large frame trembling. Akira closed his eyes and contained his squeak of surprise at the confession… He admitted it, he admitted his crimes and he even mentioned him.

The assembly hall burst out in talk of how disgusting he was, their appalled expression clear on their faces. Ryuji, Ann, and he already knew the things he had done and were mostly silent the entire time, stewing in their justice. The change of heart had _worked._

"A male student?! Who could it be?! One of the volleyball members?"

"Oh god, this is disgusting!"

Kamoshida continued and the principal could only watch on, "I thought of this as my own castle… There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them… I will, of course, rescind those… I am _truly_ sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts… I am an arrogant, shallow… and _shameful_ person. No, I'm _worse_ than that…"

"I will take responsibility and kill myself for it!"

He bent his entire body over and bowed down to them in a sincere apology. Akira shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself. The principal frantically tried to reason with Kamoshida, "Kamoshida-sensei! Please get off the stage for now!"

The teachers tried to hustle the students out of the hall, shouting orders at them to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control any further.

Kamoshida sobbed out, "I—"

_"Don't run, you bastard!"_

Ann screamed at the top of her lungs. All of their eyes were on her.

"Shiho's still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have _no_ right to run from this!"

Kamoshida sniffled and nodded his head. "You're right… You're absolutely right… I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes… I did _horrible_ things to Takamaki-san, as well. In return for giving Suzui-san a position in the team… I… I tried to force her into having relations."

Talk rang out, but Akira couldn't focus on any of it anymore. This was it, this was the end… They had done it.

"As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. _Someone,_ please call the police!"

"Wow…" Ryuji breathed out, soothing Akira to the best of his ability as the teachers escorted them out. They screamed to maintain the crowd, but it wasn't working. "This morning's assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!"

The students shuddered and gossiped. "Isn't this just like what that calling card said?"

"Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real?!"

"Was something done to Kamoshida?!"

"C'mon, there's no way you could steal someone's heart!"

"But why else would he start saying things like he'll kill himself or turn himself in?"

"Maybe because it almost got leaked? Don't they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?"

"I wonder what happened…"

"Who knows? But man, Kamoshida turned out to be one sick bastard."

They continued to jabber among themselves. Akira bit his lip and laughed to himself under his breath. It was soft and quiet, unheard by the masses. "Ryuji… I can't believe it actually happened…"

"Yeah, Akira… I can't either. We did it."

Everyone was sent back to their classroom, leaving Ann, Ryuji, and Akira with each other as the last people there.

"His heart really did change…" Ann faltered, her words becoming lost near the end.

"Seems like it. But, was this really for the best?"

Akira took a deep breath. "I-I think it was for the best."

Ryuji put his hands in the pocket and looked at the now-empty stage. That image would be engraved in his mind. The sight of Kamoshida apologizing for all of his sins. "Yeah… it's gotta be. But things're happenin' way too fast…"

Multiple footsteps sounded behind them. Akira saw a mess of blue hair and skin covered in bandages. Mishima bowed to Ann and two girls backed him up. "Takamaki-san… I'm sorry!"

"Huh…?"

"We all knew… but we pretended we didn't," Mishima explained.

One of the girls behind Mishima fiddled with her hands and bowed, her long legs trembling. "Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong… I'm sorry that I spread rumors about you!"

The other girl next to her nodded regretfully. "I didn't know at all… Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you… It must've been so hard for you!"

"I'm sure there's a ton of people who want to apologize to you," the taller student confessed. "We're so sorry!"

Ann shook her head and frowned. "No, it's okay. The same goes for me too… Besides, that's all in the past now."

"Hey, you there! Return to class at once!"

A teacher caught them and they hiccuped. The female students quickly fled the scene and apologized once again. Mishima turned to Akira. He couldn't look him in the eye.

"I can't apologize enough for what I did to you. I swear I'll make it up to you someday. I'll also keep everything that happened a secret… I won't tell a soul," Mishima lamented before leaving them. The three of them were left with each other and Ryuji whistled with his eyebrows raised, "Looks like Kamoshida ain't the only one that had a change of heart. Man, I'm glad for you. Looks like those weird rumors are gonna go away."

Ann shook her head and smiled. "My thing doesn't really matter. We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho and Akira… That's more than enough for me."

"You should hurry and tell her about it then," Ryuji told her. Ann nodded and thought about the look on Shiho's face when she gave her the news. The shock, the glee… Ann smiled at the thought of it.

"…Yeah."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Ryuji and Akira met on the rooftop at school. Akira sat on a chair and curled his legs to his body. Morgana pushed around the Treasure they had gotten from Kamoshida on the table. It sparkled in the setting orange sky.

Ryuji tapped his fingers against the table and fiddled with his dyed hair. "I totally freaked out… He really did have a change of heart… And we were lucky his mind didn't get messed up either! This was an A+ job!"

"Does this mean that they won't have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears? I see… So we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it, and then send it back to its real self," Morgana hummed out to himself. "Our targets won't undergo a cognitive collapse if we do that."

"So, we can get 'em to confess with no bad stuff?" Ryuji smiled. He put his arms behind his head and stretched. "Hey! That works for me!"

Ann walked up and grumbled to Ryuji, "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Ehhh, don't worry about it. So… how'd it go? With Shiho, I mean…" Ryuji cautiously questioned her. Ann sat on the table and swished her legs. She left them in awkward suspense before smiling brightly and melted their concern away.

"She's regained consciousness!"

Ryuji and Akira's eyes widened. Akira was smiling from ear to ear, but he hid it with his sleeves. Ryuji sat up straight and heaved out in shock. "For real?!"

Ann trembled and raised her legs and covered her face, containing her sobs of joy and relief. "It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her! I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did!"

Ann wiped away her tears and looked at them with confidence. "Shiho, she… she told me she was sorry… And here I was, wanting to apologize to her."

"Kamoshida's at fault for all this," Morgana reassured her. Ann scrubbed away at her tears and fanned her eyes with her hands.

"I know… Shiho's mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after she recovers. The whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide… people will label her after that. Sounded like Shiho had the same idea too."

"It's gonna get lonely…"

Ann sighed at Ryuji's truthful response, "But, I think it's for the best… I'm sure it'll be hard if she stays here."

"She's alive. You can see her anytime," Ryuji told her. Ann lifted herself off the table and stood tall. She looked like a changed person already but she said, "…I need to change too."

"That aside, I was surprised you could hold yourself back against Kamoshida's Shadow," Ryuji said. Akira was surprised also. Ann looked so angry that he was sure that she'd kill him.

"It wasn't like that… I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself."

"You're so kind, Lady Ann."

Ryuji picked up the medal on the table and observed it while he queried, "No matter how much of a shitbag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?"

"Huh? That's _not_ it. I think revenge is better served if I make him repent. Realizing what he's done, he'll grovel for forgiveness for the rest of his life, you know? I just believe there are fates _worse_ than death."

"Holy shit… A-anyways, that's all settled…" Ryuji stuttered, "But you know, there was one more thing I was wonderin' about that castle. Why was Kamoshida the _only one_ who had that Metaverse thing?"

Morgana meowed, "It isn't necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart becomes warped from their desires."

"Anyone…"

"Wanna check it out?' Morgana smirked at Ann.

"N-not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin' about Kamoshida," Ryuji admitted. He was right… They had to stay as regular hard-working students for a while. "Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace."

"Yeah, about that… Weird rumors about you guys are already going around."

"I-is there any mention of…?"

"No, Akira. Luckily, no mentions of you being the victim of Kamoshida. It's stuff like how you guys got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence…"

"The hell?!"

Ann laughed at Ryuji's response. "People aren't going to easily believe that phantom thieves really exist. The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."

Ryuji rested his face in his hand, his elbow grinding into the table. "Huh, makes sense… We're the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself."

Ann giggled and adjusted her pigtails to the side. "Let's wait for the time being."

"Anyways," Ryuji pulled out his phone and started typing madly, "let's check out how much this medal can be sold for. It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP."

"Ooh, got a hit! …Wait, thirty thousand yen?! That's all a gold medal's worth?!"

Ann crossed her arms and gave Ryuji a sinister look. Ryuji gulped his saliva as she started reminding him of something. "Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money."

"There's _no way_ I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!"

"Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"

_"Interest my ass!"_

"I'm just joking with you! You paid plenty for it now."

"Agh, dammit…"

Morgana laughed and sat himself down on the table, puffing his chest out proudly. "I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission."

Ryuji sat up and tossed the medal round in his hand. Akira was terrified at the possibility that Ryuji would drop it, but he trusted the boy's reflexes to catch it. "I guess we could blow this dirty money on something fun."

"Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?"

"Hey, wait—" Ann interrupted Morgana. She stopped herself and shook her head and chuckled embarrassedly by her outburst. "…Nah, I guess it's fine. There's somewhere I want to go then."

"Where's that?" Ryuji asked.

"It's a place Shiho and I have been wanting to go for a while."

"Well, you can never go wrong with good food… You okay with that, Akira?"

"I-I mean, I'm fine with anything if you guys are okay with it!" Akira stuttered out, waving his hands. He didn't mind what the other wanted, as long as they were happy. Morgana's glare told him that he wasn't satisfied with that answer.

 _"Kurusu Akira,_ are you okay with it?" The way that Morgana said his name made his arm break out in goosebumps.

"D-don't say it like that! Y-yes, I'm completely fine with this decision!"

Morgana chortled at successfully getting Akira's true opinion. "I'll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann!"

Ann clapped her hands in delight. "Great! I'll call up the place and ask for prices!"

"When should we go? Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?" Ryuji questioned them. Ann swung her arms and smiled. "Why don't we go on the last day of the holidays? It'll help energize us when school life starts up again the day after."

"Then uhh… the 5th, on Children's Day." Ryuji marked the date off in his brain and then he was hit with an unanswered question, "But wait, who's gonna sell the medal?"

"Leave that to us. We know a store that'll buy anything. Don't we, Akira? I'm counting on your haggling skills," Morgana snickered to him.

"D-don't count on me for that, I suck at haggling…"

"Well, at least you know how to haggle. I'll leave that to you guys. We headed out now?" Ann asked. Akira stood up from his seat and played with the hem of his uniform.

"Uh, uh… Ummm, I have a confession to make…"

"Eh?" They all sounded out. Akira's cheeks were bright red.

"U-uh, so I uh… Umm… After what had happened with me and K-Kamoshida… I've been telling myself bad things. I feel like I've been useless and I keep telling myself that I should forget it ever happened, but from what you guys said, I think I'm wrong in that…" Akira felt embarrassed telling them all of this, but he needed to get it off his chest.

"I realize now that for me to become strong, I shouldn't forget about it. Even if it was bad, I-I shouldn't write off that experience. It happened and I should never forget that b-but instead, I should grow from it. I-I want to be able to look back at that incident and realize that I've changed from how I was back then! I-I'm saying this now to say that… I-I want to be strong! I-I want to become strong enough where I can proudly say that I can protect you guys and live up to that! S-so, from now on… w-will you guys help me be strong…?" Akira couldn't keep his head up and he brought his arms behind his back. He fiddled with his fingers and moved his toes inside of his shoes. "S-sorry, that was probably out of nowhere. I shouldn’t have asked—"

"Akiraaa!" Ann jumped onto him and squeezed him tight. "I'm so happy you had the courage to tell us that! Of course I'll help you! Come on, you said you want to be strong, right? Chin up, chin up!" Ann plopped her hands on Akira's cheeks and lifted his face. His face was tomato red and he wrapped his small hands around his wrists.

"Oh hell yeah! C'mon c'mon, better get your muscles up! We're gonna be trainin' a shit ton, so you better get to stretching!" Ryuji slapped him on the back and Akira tried to cover his face with his hands, but Ann prevented him from doing that.

"You're going to be put in the wringer by yours truly, Akira! Don't forget, you asked for this!" Morgana yelled at him from the table. Akira couldn't stop his trembling and unconfident voice, but it still packed a punch.

"R-r-right!"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|7:27 PM|May 2nd|**

**Ann:** wait is that gold medal real?? when did it get inside his palace??

Akira looked back at Morgana for an answer. They had come home after they all had split up. Akira's heart felt a lot warmer than usual, but he never knew how to place that feeling. It was confusing. Morgana responded to him, "No, that one is a fake. It's just a by-product of his cognition. The _real_ medal should still be in his possession."

**Akira:** Morgana said this medal is a fake. Kamoshida still has the real one.

 **Ryuji:** fr?!?!?! he still has the damn medal?!!??!

 **Ann:** i mean, who cares?? what matters is that we changed his heart

 **Ann:** if we had taken the actual thing, that'd be stealing!! but i don't think he'd be proud of that medal anymore regardless

 **Ryuji:** u let go of stuff pretty easily…

 **Ann:** want me to take back what i said?? i can still charge u, i hope u know. ¥500 is a lot for a middle schooler!!

 **Ann:** do you even have that dolphin anymore??

 **Akira:** dolphin? what are you guys talking about?

 **Ryuji:** dont dig that up!!

 **Ann:** back in middle school, we went on a field trip to the aquarium

 **Ann:** ryuji just HAD to spend all of his money on a souvenir so i lent him some for the train fare

 **Ryuji:** i said i was sry… it was for my ma

 **Ann:** its all even after everything we've been through now

 **Ryuji:** thank you…

 **Ryuji:** anyways we dont gotta worry bout sellin that medal off if its a fake

 **Ryuji:** end of story!!

"Kamoshida will never be proud of that once-in-a-lifetime gold medal ever again. Depending on how you look at it, that punishment might be even worse than death for him."

"S-scary…" Akira stammered to Morgana. Akira took a seat at the counter and Sojiro groaned out tiredly.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll have a lot of time off, huh? Must be nice… For me, it just means more customers and even more work," Sojiro told him. "Oh, and a package came in for you. Can't imagine what you bought…"

"Ah! The protein I ordered from the TV last night…" Akira went over to the box and quickly sliced it open with a boxcutter. Akira could see the floating benefits of the materials in front of him.

"Ooooo! These look pretty nice!" Morgana grinned, but as soon as he took a whiff of it he choked. "I-It doesn't smell the best, though…"

"Protein isn't supposed to smell nice…" Akira told him as he lugged the bottles upstairs. He worked on making more lockpicks because from what Morgana implied, anybody can have a Palace. What if he runs into another one? He wanted to be prepared if the time were to come.

The next day, Akira helped Sojiro with the shop. He was supposed to go to the airsoft shop to sell the medal, but Sojiro had priority. As Morgana said, "We do owe it to him…"

Akira did the dishes and wiped down the tables. He also mopped the floors and made everything sparkle. Sojiro yawned and sat on one of the stools, stretched out his old bones, and stared at the TV.

"Heh, sorry I kinda pressured you into doing this."

"I'm doing this on my own volition. Please don't worry."

"And now to our next topic… Fall from Grace: the story of a dishonored Olympic medalist. Just recently, a high school coach confesses at an assembly that he had been repeatedly abusing students. Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess these heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question." 

"Hm? Isn't this…?" Sojiro's eyes widened. Akira tried to not look at the TV, but Sojiro had seemed to notice from the students reporting on the matter.

"My friends would come back from practice with bruises all the time… It was scary, but I'm relieved that the abuse is finally going to end now,"  a male student confessed his worries and his alleviation from the matter. It then changed to a female student's voice.

"He would touch me and stuff all the time… I'm glad I don't have to deal with that sexual harassment anymore…" 

It changed to another girl's voice. As it went on and on, he could feel Sojiro's eyes piercing into his back while he washed the dishes.  "There were always rumors, sure. Not many people believed them though. Like… I'm totally shocked they were actually true. At least now I can go to school without worrying." 

"I knew it. This is your school, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hahh… Things might be getting turbulent at school, but you need to just keep your head down, all right? More importantly, keep those hands moving. I've got some more stuff I need you to do."

"Yes, Sojiro…"

It was the evening when he finished. Akira was glad that there were gloves for the dishwashing because if there weren't any, the skin on his hands would be peeling.

"The chief worked you hard… I said that you'd be put through the wringer after your statement, but not like that…"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted…" Akira slumped onto his bed and his phone rang again. He opened up his phone with half-lidded eyes and yawned as the chat boomed.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|7:27 PM|May 2nd|**

**Ryuji:** YOOO DID YOU GUYS SEE THE NEWS?!?!?!

 **Ryuji:** theres no way the school can play dumb after that

 **Ann:** i saw it too!!!

 **Ann:** shiho's name didn't come up right??

 **Ryuji:** no not that i saw. they prolly wanted to keep that part quiet

 **Ann:** im so glad… 😭

 **Ryuji:** its finally over then

 **Ryuji:** all we gotta do is stuff our faces and put this kamoshida bullcrap behind us

 **Ryuji:** im totally lookin forward 2 this celebration party

 **Ann:** count on me for the tasty food… i'll be sure to not let you guys down!! 🤗

The next day, Akira tried his best to go out and sell the medal.

"Make sure to wash the dishes," Sojiro told him. Akira scratched behind his ear, the weight of the medal bringing the bag down.

"Actually, I can't do them right now…"

"Oh don't be cocky with me!"

The door opened in perfect timing, saving Akira from Sojiro's wrath. The woman had silver hair and red lipstick. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," Sojiro replied with a harsh tone. The woman nodded and took a seat at the bar as the TV played.

"The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day still has not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents." 

"Oh, is that the thing everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro questioned.

"Doesn't it make you curious?" The woman asked Sojiro. Sojiro turned his head from the TV to look at her. "People who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue… Not to mention that it's happening one after another… Could they really be coincidental?"

"Hmmm…" Sojiro gave it a thought. It did seem odd that they were happening back to back. "Leaving that aside… What'll you have?"

She stayed silent for a moment in thought. "…I'll have the house blend please."

She looked over at Akira, who still had his eyes on the TV. In actuality, he was still waiting for a legitimate answer from Sojiro. "Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised this place can afford one."

"Uhhh, no, not exactly…" Sojiro sputtered. The woman kept questioning him.

"Are you a high school student? Where do you attend?"

"I attend Shujin Academy, ma'am," he told her respectfully.

"Oh? Someone I know goes there as well. I've heard that things are rough right now. A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person, supposedly. And it happened 'all of a sudden' one day… Can a person's mental state change so easily?"

"…Huh," Sojiro breathed out.

"Is my drink ready yet?"

"…Coming right up," Sojiro went to go fetch what he needed. Akira left the café while Sojiro was doing his work.

Akira was once again met with the airsoft manager, a battle between two men. The surly shop manager twirled the lollipop in his mouth.

"…Huh? You again? What do you want?"

"I want you to buy this." Akira fished the medal out from his bag and slid it across the counter. The man crunched down on his lollipop, breaking a piece of it into his mouth.

"Huh? A gold medal? Why do you have this? We don't buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid… Hold on a sec. Lemme see it."

The man picked up the medal and observed it's quality. It looked like a pretty decent medal. "I'm just… not gonna ask where you got this. How's thirty-thousand yen sound for it though?"

"Forty thousand."

"Thirty thousand."

"No, no, no, sir. I beg to differ. This is an Olympic medal. Not only that, but its age has value. It's at least ten years old, yet its quality is perfect! Can't you see the masterful engraving in it, also?" Akira said, pointing out the etched writing and figures in it. The man crunched down on his lollipop once again, reducing it to pebbles.

"…Thirty-five thousand."

"Deal." Akira gave him a crafty smile when the man passed him the money. Akira quickly stuffed it into his wallet. He had a lot of money now… he should splurge on some tools after they indulge themselves in a celebratory meal.

"It's almost time…" The man mumbled. He quickly pulled out a bag and handed it over to Akira. "Here, take this with you. It's thanks for sellin' me that medal. But, uh… best not open it. Just bring it with you next time you come back here."

Akira felt how shady this was, even if his ability to read people had gotten significantly worse. What could this be? Drugs? But it wasn't heavy enough… "All right then, sir…"

 _Eh?_ Why did he accept this? Wouldn't he be in big trouble if this was something really really bad? Ah, but he couldn't say no…!

"Glad you're so quick to understand," the man complimented him. Akira cleared his throat and nodded as if this was intentional. The man looked over to the door and slid the empty stick of the lollipop out of his mouth. "…They're here."

Two men in suits walked in. The one with a mode greyish-tan colored suit spoke. He was extremely stern with his voice. "Iwai Munehisa, yes? There are some matters we'd like to discuss with you today."

Iwai-san turned his head to Akira and pointed his stick toward the door. "…Go, kid."

Akira didn't even need him to ask and he was already walking out. He stopped at the door to listen in. Eavesdropping. He was doing it again… It was such a horrible thing to do, but it was instinctual. He needed to break out of that habit.

"Do you know why we're here?" The black-suited man asked.

"I dunno, lookin' for evidence? You tell me, Mr. Detective," Iwai-san remarked.

The vulgar detective slammed his hand down on the counter loudly and snarled, "Watch your attitude!"

"Well, you guys gonna search me? Go on, do what you gotta do."

"…What was that?" The detective prodded.

Iwai-san added to his statement, "An upstandin' citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?"

The other detective that was a lot more lenient whispered gruffly to his partner, "Hey, you sure that lead was legitimate?"

"I could've sworn it was…" He responded.

"Can you two hurry it up?" Iwai-san requested them. "I got a business to run here."

"You bastard…"

Akira felt how tense it was and started to open the door out, but the detective who just openly cursed at the name yelled. "…Hey, you!"

The other detective looked Akira's way and demanded him, "What's in the bag, huh? Show me!"

"…The kid's just a regular customer ol' customer. You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. They'll show you everything that's gone down here today," Iwai-san protected him. Akira still didn't want to be there when the detectives skimmed through the footage to see him pawn off an oddly Olympic suspicious medal.

"I won't let you get away that easy! Show us what's in the bag!"

"What's in this bag is none of your business," Akira told them. Iwai-san snorted and the detective yelled at him once again.

"I said, show it to me!"

"Hey, you're talking to a kid, remember? They look to be a middle schooler, let's not be too harsh. Besides, he's not the one we're here to see," the stern detective said. The vulgar and more brash detective flinched and groaned out.

"That's right, Mr. Detective. Maybe next time try not harassin' my customers, see how that goes." Iwai-san smirked. The man growled in anger, but Iwai ignored it. "Safe trip home, kid."

"Pleasure doing business as always, Iwai-san." And Akira left the store.

He was sweating bullets when he left. His heart was pounding and he felt the adrenaline racing through his entire body. He felt hyper, but it was in a sickly way.

Morgana pulled himself onto Akira's shoulder, escaping from the brown bag. He looked down at the paper bag that Iwai-san had given him. "What were those detectives doing there? More importantly… aren't you curious about what's in the bag?"

"He told us not to look though, Monamona…"

"A little peek won't hurt! C'mon, wheres that confidence?" Morgana asked him. It was like Akira's third eye had opened and he quickly unraveled the bag. He caught a peek of it before he quickly snapped it shut, looking around the vicinity to see if anybody was there to witness what he was about to do.

"A real gun?! Wait… I think it's just a model," Morgana exclaimed. It was still a surprise to see something this detailed… "It's incredible though! Miles ahead of the one Ryuji had. There's something weird about that place… Hey, Akira, I just had a great idea… We should buy this gun from him later!"

"Eh?!"

"I mean, it's _perfect!_ Something this real-looking would work _wonders_ in the Metaverse… Anyway, he told you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when we go to return it!"

"M-maybe… That sounds scary though…"

Akira went back home with the thought of; ''what am I getting myself into'? It was incredible how realistic the gun was… He couldn't stop peering into the bag. His eyes were torn away when his phone started buzzing.

"It's a call from Lady Ann? Hurry up and answer it!" Morgana ushered him and he quickly picked it up.

"Hello?" Akira asked. He heard Ann's shrill voice greet him.

"Hi, Akira! It's me! I saw the entire news clip on Kamoshida just now. It's getting a _lot_ of coverage…"  She informed.

"It's a bit scary how much is on it though…"

"Yeah, I'm still not sure what to think of it… The reaction's been bigger than what I was expecting… I guess I'm just… surprised. I don't think we did anything wrong though. I wonder if we helped those people speak up about it…" 

"I'm sure we did. I-I mean, I finally had the strength to say that speech to you guys after his confession…"

"Yeah, you're right! Gosh, I'm going to remember the look on your face forever. I'll help you get strong! This calls for a celebration! Your newfound goal and for Kamoshida's confession! Let's meet at Shibuya station at noon tomorrow, m'kay? Don't be late!" 

"Don't worry, I'll be there early if I can!"

"Oh, and did you pawn off that medal? You didn't forget, right?" 

"My haggling skills got us an extra five-thousand yen…"

"HOLY CRAP! Really?! You'll be super excited about the place I chose! I'm sure you'll all love it! Well, see you guys tomorrow!" 

"Bye-bye, Ann!"

When he hung up on that call and laid in bed, he could only think about what would happen in the future. Things could only go up from here, right?


	14. Chapter 12: An Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the buffet brings up something that Akira never thought about… what if they continued as the Phantom Thieves of Heart?

They were sat at a large table with piles of food, all of them of different tastes and textures, but they all had the same excellent quality. Ann gorged herself out of sweets (predictable) and Ryuji shoved his face with meat (also predictable).

"Mmmm… So good…" Ryuji moaned out in delight and shoved in another forkful of steak. Akira was very selective with his food, but Morgana seemed to enjoy the fish.

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!" Morgana mewled. Ann giggled and held up her plate in her hand and put a chocolate-covered strawberry in her mouth.

"Of course it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all." Her expression turned serious and she put her plate down on the table. "Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school."

"That's troublesome…" Morgana pouted at the mention of police coming to the school. It would be dangerous if they were suspected. Ryuji sighed and picked at the chicken stuck in between his teeth. "Our names are gonna come up for sure. People're spreadin' all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida… But we got 'em pumped up! I keep hearin' stuff like, 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!' I think most people don't believe it, but some of 'em seem grateful!"

Ryuji pulled out his phone and faced the screen towards them. "Look at this."

Ann skimmed the Kanji and the text on the screen and squinted. She leaned over the table to get a closer look. "The Phantom Aficionado Website? 'Well done, Phantom Thieves'… 'Now I can keep going too'… 'Thank you for giving us hope'…"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ryuji grinned and shook his phone.

Ann smiled and seated herself back down and grabbed a fork, and stabbed into the cream of her butter-cream cake. "I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels… strange."

"Hey… What do we do now?"

Akira blew into the straw of his milk and bubbles foamed up at the top as a look of contemplation engraved on his face. He looked at Ryuji and said with the straw still in his mouth, "…Eat? W-wait, are we good on time?"

"Oh crap, you're totally right! We only got an hour to eat!" Ryuji pushed himself up from his chair and as soon as he said that Ann bolted up. She looked at the clock on the wall. "Just fifty minutes left!"

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!"

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!"

They both started walking away and Ryuji looked back over to them. "Look after our stuff! We'll snag somethin' for you guys too, don't worry!"

When they came back to the table, they filled the table with sweets and different types of meat. Akida had _just_ finished a plate of steak, mash potatoes, and corn, but what lay next to Morgana and them was a pile of… _whatever_ this was…

"Aw man, it melts in my mouth!" Ryuji wasn't even chewing. He was just sliding everything down his throat and swallowing it. Akira contained a cringe, but Morgana voiced his own opinions.

"Seriously? Only _meat?"_

Ann had a slice of cake sitting on a plate in front of her and she inspected every angle of it. She even prodded at the edges and pressed her fork into the cream. "Now, where to start…"

"And she's all about the cake…"

Morgana watched Ann take a specific forkful of the cake, plop it in her mouth. Her feet tapped underneath the table and a huge smile erupted on her face. Even her eyes were smiling. "So happy…!"

"Hey. Calories."

 _"Shuddup!_ How much do you think one of these costs?! I'll never get the chance to do this again!" Ann yelled at Ryuji. Her mood flipped when she took another bite to calm herself. "Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet… I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!"

"And… where's _our_ share?" Morgana demanded. Ryuji pointed at the plate next to them and shoved another slice of steak in his mouth, "I didn't really know what you'd want… so I just grabbed you some beans."

 _"B-beans?"_ Morgana stuttered. Akira looked at the plate. Yeah, those were beans… but why did it smell so off, like it had been mixed with something putrid? It also smelled oddly fruity…

Ann spoke through her full mouth, "There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried banana, preserved eggs, and… some kind of beans."

_"M-more beans?!"_

"We put so much in the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good."

Ann was a fat liar. This did _not_ look appealing at all.

"This is just plain _grotesque…_ Let's go, Akira. These two just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!"

"R-right! Watch our stuff for us!" Akira pulled his bag over his shoulder and he wasn't even sure if they had heard him from how ensnared they were with the food.

Morgana demanded him to get fish and he didn't disagree with it. He could go for some fish also… Akira trailed his eyes over every table. Akira was never one for food, but he had a large appetite right now. The question is if his stomach was big enough to fit in what he wanted.

 _"But this is also an eight thousand yen buffet… Tough choices…"_ He thought to himself when they arrived at the fish. Morgana meowed, his tail slamming in the insides from how in love he was at the sight and smell of freshly cooked salmon and tuna.

"I'd prefer it raw, but grilled is great too!"

"Have you heard, my dear?" Morgana and Akira heard two wealthy ladies speaking to each other. "The news about that Kamoshida fellow was absolutely _dreadful."_

"Ah, right. That teacher at Shujin Academy, caught doing such indecent acts. Shameful, really. And they still haven't managed to solve those horrible psychotic breakdown episodes, have they?" The other woman responded. "Ugh, I wish they wouldn't let themselves be distracted by such a tawdry scandal."

"Perhaps it's a sign of how peaceful this country is. I honestly pity those poor Shujin students though," the arrogant lady fanned herself. He felt their eyes go on him and he quickly picked up a few pieces to not catch their attention. Ah, there's his habit of eavesdropping again…

"It sounds like the Kamoshida incident is the talk of the town. Let's just hurry and grab some food. On the plus side, we get to eat it later," Morgana told him. The same arrogant lady rolled her eyes at them as Akira scanned what table to go to next.

"Tsk, how did a child like _this_ end up in here? I certainly hope he didn't bring his friends. I prefer my meals to remain hooligan-free, thank you very much."

 _"She'd regret those words if she knew who I was…"_ Akira thought. Morgana bristled inside of his bag and hissed. "What's so bad about kids coming to enjoy a buffet…? Hm, I wonder how the other people here are reacting to the news. Let's get some more food and listen in. Maybe there are more people we can eavesdrop on at other tables…"

The dessert table made him feel sick looking at the three chocolate fountains, but he was sure that Ann had a joyride with this. White chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate fountains stood proud on the tables. Akira glanced backward to see that, yep, she did use the fountains…

Morgana licked his lips and sniffed the chocolate. "Up close, it looks even bigger and more delicious. This giant, sweet— Ah. I got distracted."

"News travels quick. It's already all over the internet. You know, the story about how Kamoshida got his ass kicked by some world-reforming heroes," a man next to them said. He looked rather important… Maybe a company president? The woman next to the man shook her head in response. "It doesn't seem like a serious story to me. Some of the details are pretty far-fetched."

"Don't worry about it. We just have to do what they tell us to do. It's all rumors made up by school kids, anyway. If it's gripping news, who cares if it's not true?"

"So they don't believe themselves, but they're making up stories to make the Phantom thieves seem real… and they're doing this in front of the actual Phantom Thieves," Morgana chuckled after the man had said that. It did feel funny that they were unaware, but it felt a lot more normal to him because he's been in 'disguise' since he's come here…

Akira got some more food to make himself seem less suspicious. When they got to the meat dishes, he had no idea what to pick. They all looked appetizing, but he didn't know what to pick. Beef? Chicken? Pork? Which one…

"…When you really look at it, he's just an ex-athlete who overestimated himself," a haughty subordinate stood in a group of two and talked smack with his colleague. "He should have just accepted his lot in life and quietly done his job as a teacher."

"It's not even an incident we can take seriously," his coworker responded. "The whole story is pretty ridiculous. We should probably look into it, but we can also just let the low-ranking scrubs handle it."

"Look into…? I guess they're investigating Kamoshida? They don't sound very enthusiastic about it though," Morgana rumbled.

"I wouldn't be either…" Akira whispered to him. Morgana sputtered at his answer. "Pfft, uh, well— yeah… Gah, grab some food!"

Akira picked up the tongs and put some of the beef onto his plate and avoided being questioned. It looked really good. The men around him kept speaking.

"He's gonna be arriving soon. We don't want to keep him waiting, so we better get going too," the insolent man said to the more haughty and uptight one. The man shrugged and fixed the cuffs of his sleeves. "What is he gonna discuss with the higher-ups? Well, I'm sure it's more important than lunch."

Morgana blew raspberries at the two men as they left the table. "They were dressed quite well, but they still looked pretty shady to me."

"What about Iwai-san?"

"Well, he embraces how shady he is, he doesn't try to hide it. So he isn't as shady."

"I'm not sure if that makes sense…"

Everybody was chattering away about the news and how the ratings were amazing. He boiled at the mention of them being happy that the news got them amazing ratings.

"How can he be so insensitive? A student almost _killed herself_ because of that Kamoshida," Morgana complained.

They went back to the table with a plate full of a variety of food. It made Morgana pissed off that none of the adults here seemed to be good people, but Akira expected that. He lived in the environment his entire life, so he wouldn't expect anything less.

"…Ooh, you brought a ton back! Whaddya think about comin' up against such ritzy food?" Ryuji asked him.

"I just wanna eat…"

"I was thinkin' that too, but take a bite. Usin' better ingredients makes stuff taste _way_ different!"

Morgana scoffed. "Look at you, acting like you have a refined palate all of a sudden."

"Don't you think you're eatin' too much, Mona?" Ryuji questioned. Morgana shook his head and dug his head into another piece of cooked fish.

"There's no… mmm… knowing when we'll get to come here again," Morgana said with a full mouth. Akira rubbed his hand against his head and started to pick at his plate. Ann sighed and poked at the last piece of cake on her side. "Sure, but you guys brought back _loads_ of food… It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. Why don't _you_ help them out, Ryuji?"

"We should both help."

"Oh, me? I'm _wayyy_ too stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!" Ann told Ryuji while shoving a piece of cake into her mouth. Ryuji groaned and grabbed at some of the things on Akira's plate. "Yeah… stuffin' your face with cake… Whatever. Let's deal with this ourselves! I know you won't be able to finish it all, you're a small eater Akira!"

"N-not that much…"

"'Kira, you can barely finish a medium-sized beef bowl."

"T-the medium beef bowls at Ore no Beko are big!" Akira argued with him and put a mouthful of shrimp fried rice in his mouth. Morgana said through stuffed cheeks, "No, they're actually really small."

"M-Monamona, y-you've betrayed me…"

No matter how much they ate, it seemed that the pule they had stacked onto their table never disappeared.

"There's still more…?"

"Don't give up! Let's keep at it!" Ryuji strained out to Morgana. Akira looked like he was going to throw up, but he shoved in another bite. He wasn't even sure if it tasted good.

They managed to finish the entire thing. Akira laid himself down on the couch and covered his mouth to silence his burp. All of them looked dead but Ann looked as happy as a clam. Morgana groaned out and sagged his head on the edge of his bag. "W-we did it…"

Akira's belt felt multiple sizes too small. His waist was extremely small and was set it in at the last notch, but he quickly readjusted the size of it and groaned. Ryuji laid back completely in his chair and rested a hand on his stomach. "Ye— Oh yeah… This is a victory… for all of us…"

"T-that was… t-tough…"

"We made it 'cause we did it together, man…"

Ann clapped her hands in congratulations. "Good job, you guys! How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!"

 _"Stop…_ I don't wanna hear about sour stuff… _Urk—_ Uhhh, this isn't good. I gotta go to the bathroom…!"

"M-me too… Please… carry me gently…" Morgana pleaded with him. Akira sat himself up carefully and stretched his arms out.

"Please don't barf in my bag… It's expensive…"

A pair of adults passed by them. Multiple empty glasses and dishes were spread across the table, wiped clean, and stacked atop each other. Akira has had nice food before, but he needed to eat it all because he'd feel bad if he didn't. The woman in that pair looked over to their table with wide eyes and nudged the man next to her. "My, look at that table…"

"Come now, pay them no attention. I'm sure they must not normally have the chance to eat such exquisite food," the man reasoned with her. The wealthy woman scoffed. "I can only imagine what their parents must be like."

"What was that?!" Ryuji growled as they walked away, but he quickly put a hand to his mouth. _"…Urp!_ We don't got time for that. C'mon, let's go…"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

They were waiting outside fancy and shiny elevators. They had just come back from the bathrooms and Ryuji looked like he was on the brink of death. Morgana closed his eyes and mewled, "Ugghhh, I'm stuffed…"

"I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms…" Ryuji moaned out in displeasure.

"You were talking big about eating until you puked, but you really did puke… Are you some kind of moron?"

"Hey, same goes for you!" Ryuji hissed to Morgana before turning over to the elevator and scanned over the buttons. "What floor was that restaurant on?"

"It's on floor three I think. It's below," Akira said. Ryuji nodded and pressed the button. It turned white and they waited for the lift on the right to turn up. Akira heard footsteps behind and the people that had gathered around the elevator stepped aside. Akira's eyes widened, but he was pushed back by a crowd of adults. Akira almost fell to the ground but he stabilized himself before he plummeted.

"…! What the—"

Ryuji was interrupted when a bald man sat in the middle of his posse and asked them all a question, "There's still no update on the case?"

"N-not yet… Excuse me, but why are _you_ so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with," a man in a suit asked him. The man barked at him.

"I don't care about your opinion, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!"

"Hey, you're cuttin' in line!" Ryuji yelled at them. One of the men walked over to them and glared. "…What do you want?"

"A-apologize to Ryuji!"

"We're in a hurry," the man told Akira. Ryuji stomped his foot and spat in his face.

"Oh, I'm _sorry._ So you can butt in front of other people if _you're_ in a hurry?"

The distinguished and important bald man scoffed at them and turned away from them, refusing to acknowledge their existence. "It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a daycare?"

 _"What?"_ Ryuji seethed.

The man that told them that they were 'in a hurry' turned to the distinguished man. "Sir, we don't have time for this."

"I know."

The elevator dinged and Ryuji walked closer, but the man suddenly flipped around and jabbed Ryuji in the shoulder.

"Hey—!" Akira shouted at them. The man shook his head and snarled. "Don't bother with them!"

_"Wait… That voice…"_

Akira put a hand to his head. No, what? He was confused. The men disappeared into the elevator and the golden doors shut on them. Ryuji growled and kicked the floor. "The hell was with that bossy guy?"

"Shouldn't we head back down?" Morgana meowed. Ryuji grumbled and pressed the button again before cussing. "Yeah, but… That dick really pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!"

"Don't lose your temper over this," Morgana told him.

"I just can't forgive _shitty adults_ like that!"

Akira was loosely paying attention to what they were saying, but his mind wouldn't let go of the voice he heard. It sounded… It sounded like the voice he had heard at that time. His head hurt even more. No, there's no way a man like that would be here…

"…What's wrong?" Ryuji noticed his scrunched eyebrows and lost eyes. Akira realized what he was doing and came back, the light reappearing inside of his pupils. Akira took his hand out his hair and tried not to think about it too hard.

"H-huh? Oh, um… I'm okay. Don't worry about it…"

"That's just gonna make me worry _more,_ y'know."

Morgana added onto Ryuji's statement, "I bet it's because he rarely eats well. I'm always stuck with canned cat food too…"

Ryuji cusses. Just thinking about what happened made him pissed. "Ugh, that 'sir' bullshit makes me sick! …Dammit!"

"It's all right, Ryuji. Come on, let's just go back down to Ann," Akira pulled on his sleeve. Ryuji looked at him and sighed as they both walked into the elevator along with a few other people.

"I still have no idea how you can calm me down so easily…"

When they both got back to the table, Ann yelled at them. Akira flinched at her aggressive tone and looked at her with wide eyes.

"What took you so long?!"

"Why're you all pissy?" Ryuji questioned. Ann realized what she had said and facepalmed in embarrassment.

"Ugh, sorry… I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. _She_ bumped into _me,_ but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate…"

"Tch, sounds like a real bitch…"

"Yeah… Thanks though." Ann breathed out and laid back in her chair, her legs crossed over each other. She watched them sit back down. "But… the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression… I wonder if we're out of place here…"

"We aren't… It's just that people make it so that we _are…"_

"Nghh… Hey, Morgana," Ryuji called to him. Morgana poked his head out of the bag.

"What is it?"

"…Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?"

"That would be the case."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Ann queried.

Ryuji crossed his arms and jittered his leg underneath the table, unable to keep still with all of the thoughts he had in his head, but he decided to spew them all out. "We had trouble earlier too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else… I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

They were shocked at Ryuji's response. Ann quickly sat up and looked at Ryuji in the eye. "You mean… you wanna continue as the Phantom Thieves?"

"…I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus… those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. _Us,_ of _all people!"_

"I-I mean… What do you think, Ann?" Akira turned over to her. Ann brushed back her hair. She already had an answer, she already knew what she wanted to do.

"I… I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before…"

"Well… that's true," Morgana admitted. "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

Ryuji nodded. "Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?"

"I-if I'm going to be honest…" Akira started. "I never even thought about this being a possibility… but this is the one time I can truly say that I-I want to do this. I have this power for a reason, even if it isn't my real one… I should use it to help people! But…"

"That means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it…?"

"Indeed. That can't be avoided," Morgana told Ann. Risking his life to save the weak and powerless just like him… maybe Akira wouldn't have it any other way. Ryuji put his arms behind his head and smiled. "Eh, I'm sure we'll manage. Hehehe… Right?"

Akira chuckled. All of the times he's been taken advantage of. Where people leech off of him and expect the impossible from him… never again. He wouldn't want that to happen to anybody else. "I want to help people, s-so it's fine by me!"

"Heh… Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

 _"Fledglings?_ Haha, that's actually pretty fitting for us," Ann laughed. Ryuji pumped his fist and grinned. "All right, it's settled! We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"…Are you okay being our leader?" Ann looked over at Akira. He froze. Wait, what? Him? Leader?

"H-huh?! W-why?"

"No objections on my side! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff. Besides, you've been taking command just fine 'Kira! We'll back you up on anything," Ryuji assured him. Akira mumbled, "Is that supposed to assure me…? O-oh all right… I'll do it!"

"Hey, where's my say in this? But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it," Morgana stared at Ann with love-struck eyes. Akira ruffled his head and shoved him down to make him stop looking at her. Ryuji chortled before saying, "Well, should we decide on a name for our group? I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a _real_ name would be cooler?"

"Ooh, I've got it! I want it to be something both _cute_ and _luxurious sounding…_ Let me see…" Ann closed her eyes in thought and opened them, leaning towards the table in excitement. "How about 'The Diamonds'?"

"…I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it," Ryuji told her. Akira felt it too. Was it because of the 'diamond' part? Morgana cleared his throat and pitched in his answer.

"Well then, here's my suggestion. How about 'Tilefish Poele'?"

"Tile… uh, what?" Ryuji questioned.

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you _idiot!_ Ugh, you decide for us, Akira…"

"Well…" Akira thought about it. "We should keep our name consistent, right? I think the name you came up with is already good. So, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"Eh? You like the name I came up with?" Ryuji asked him. Akira nodded and smiled. "I'm glad I entrusted you with the card's design!"

"It's a good name… _for a moron."_

"Shut up, Morgana!" Ryuji cussed at the not-cat. "Anyways, we goin' with it?"

"Let's go for it! But now that the name's set, who's our next target?" Ann queried. It was a good question. Akira could think of a lot of people, but if they wanted to get their name out there he wanted it to hit hard…

"There are tons of rotten adults and all… Why not just stick to targeting big names? If we go after some bigwig, it's gotta get in the news, right?" Ryuji insisted. Akira fiddled with the phone in his hand and hummed out in thought. "I-It's true that if people know more about us, we'll be able to help more people…"

"I don't like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though," Ann noted. "So we should narrow it to someone we all agree with!"

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously…"

"I like the unanimous decision part!" Ann exclaimed. "It's like we're making some kind of pact!"

Morgana chortled and his chin turned up, beseeching them with his gracious words, "Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!"

Ann was about to laugh in excitement, but her entire body froze when she looked at the clock on the wall. Ann peered at the messy table and yelled out her grievances to them, "Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out…"

Ryuji shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Their savings were drained, but they still have more money thanks to Akira's haggling. Morgana stretched himself out and extended his claws for good measure. Akira needed to get him a cat bed at some point…

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|8:21 PM|May 5th|**

**Ryuji:** the phantom thieves huh… im likin how it sounds!!!

 **Ann:** i hope we can really help people

 **Ann:** im curious about the phantom aficionado website too. i wonder who made it… ❓❔

 **Ryuji:** i have 0 clue

 **Ryuji:** more importantly do ya see the survey on there??

 **Ryuji:** i dunno how 2 feel about it

 **Ann:** yeah!! there was this approval rating thing but it was only at like six percent

 **Akira:** i mean… it's better than what i expected??

 **Ann:** i guess it isn't when u put it that way, but it still hurts… 😔✊

 **Ryuji:** bro but dont u just wanna watch that number climb?? i bet itll go up TONS if we keep takin down big targets

 **Ryuji:** if u think of it like that it gets ur blood pumpin like mad

 **Ann:** id have a stroke…

 **Ann:** but it does seem satisfying 😳

 **Ann:** lets just keep working hard from this point on!

 **Ryuji:** OH WAIT LEMME SEND THIS

 **Ryuji:** celebratory-pic-cause-ya.jpg

 **Ryuji:** celebratory pic from the formation of the phantom thieves!! and for us crashin' that classy ass buffet

 **Ann:** u can cool it with the "celebrating" any time now 🤡

 **Ann:** WAIT YOU TOOK THAT WHILE I WAS EATING?!? WHY DIDNT U JUST TELL ME?!?!😤🤬💢😡

 **Ryuji:** uh i DID u just didn't stop eatin fatass

 **Ann:** im about to throw hands istg 👁👄👁

 **Ryuji:** ANYWAYS

 **Ryuji:** this is really the start of greatness!! we're gonna be takin down shitty adults left n right!!

 **Akira:** unless Ann kills you.

 **Ann:** yeah unless 👀👄👀

 **Ryuji:** plz dont

Akira took care of his plant after smiling at the picture. He saved it onto his camera roll and smiled. Two pictures with his friends. There was one where he leaned upon Ann as they both slept peacefully on the train and one where the four of them were having a great time at the buffet. It made him smile stupidly as he mixed in the nutrients.

Akira scrubbed down Leblanc for brownie points with Sojiro. Sojiro smiled. "…Well, I'd certainly appreciate that. I'm going home now. Don't break anything in the store, got it?"

He didn't realize how gross the floors of Leblanc were until he started to make them sparkle. He pushed out the dirty water of the mop and cringed at the black sludge that came out.

"Well, at least it's clean now. Good job of doing that, you were thinking about the health of the people in here."

"It was more for my health if it's this bad…" Akira gagged and quickly scrubbed his hands with soap and water before jumping into his bed. Morgana purred when the boy scratched underneath his chin.

When Akira opened his eyes again, he felt a cold chill go through his body. He realized he didn't have a blanket on and he also had chains wrapped around his wrists.

 _"Oh… I'm in the Velvet Room."_ Akira thought as he stood up and met Igor's stare. Igor rumbled and tapped his pen on the desk listlessly. "First off… I'd like to begin by congratulating you."

"To think our master would give words of praise…" Justine muttered out and smiled. Caroline stared at Akira and yelled, "You better treasure this moment, Inmate!"

Igor continued, "You have encountered allies who share your ideals, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come… Your rehabilitation will soon begin."

"I still don't understand what you mean by rehabilitation, sir…"

Igor nodded at his frustrations and stopped teetering his pen around. "I shall explain it to you now… You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin. That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."

"T-the coming ruin…"

"There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist ruin," Igor explained. "Fighting Shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another."

Caroline crossed her arms and smirked. "This is all possible because of our master's guidance, Inmate!" Justine nodded at her sister's words. "Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well."

"When you're out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!" Caroline snarled at him. Justine adjusted her grip on her clipboard and met Akira's eyes. "Spending time with those people… will lead to your cultivation of your relationships with them."

Why did these kids like beating him over the head so much…? He was going to spend his time with his friends regardless, they didn't need to tell him twice!

"If you've got time to waste, you'd better visit your contractors, Inmate!"

"I understand, Caroline…" Akira replied to her. She slammed her baton on the bar and screamed at him, "Are you trying to be snarky with me?!"

"I—"

"Calm down, Caroline. Visiting your contractors is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned."

Igor nodded and gestured his hands toward Akira, his spindly fingers stretching out and taunted him. "Thanks to the contracts you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems the rehabilitation is going well. This is truly a joyous occasion… I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift."

"May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper," Igor said. "I have high hopes for you."

A bright warmth pumped inside of his body, spreading that heat throughout his entire body. He had a similar feeling when he was hanging out with his friends on certain occasions.

When Akira woke back up, Akira groaned and cleared his throat. His stomach was exposed to the cold wind and he shifted his body around, careful to not knock Morgana off of the bed. "Monamona… wake up, we need to get to school…"

"Ughhh, five minutes…"

"Morgana!"

"Fine… All right, I'm up…!" Morgana pounced off of the bed after licking his fur and he sat inside of Akira's bag, half-asleep. Akira got ready lazily and stumbled to the train. He was always tired after visiting the Velvet Room in his dreams and he could barely keep his eyes open as he crammed himself into the corner of the train.

Akira tapped his pencil on the desk and closed his eyes while Kawakami-sensei spoke. It was difficult to pay attention, but he needed to make it seem like he was being a good student instead of fading out of existence.

"Like you all heard last week, gym class is canceled today," Kawakami announced. It was obvious that it would be canceled because Kamoshida was gone. Akira was happy that they had sent that man to prison. Kawakami-sensei continued, "Instead, I'm supposed to give you some guidance. The gist is, _don't_ go around talking about the incident. That's all. The police are still investigating Kamoshida-sensei, so I can't say anything myself. As a teacher though, I'm ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that… I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like… well, a normal person."

 _"Anybody would think he's a normal person… we just got the short end of the stick. It's nobody's fault except his."_ Akira thought to himself. He needed to work harder. Akira shook his head and opened his eyes. _"I need to be stronger… or else I'll never be able to survive in this world."_

"Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them…"

Morgana turned his head to Akira. "The teachers have it rough, huh…?"

"They might get a bad reputation after Kamoshida… not all of the teachers are bad here, but they'll get labeled. I'm sort of sad…" Akira whispered to Morgana. Akira put a hand on the desk and fiddled with Morgana's ear. "I didn't think that the repercussions on everyone else would be this bad…"

"Well, we can't do much about it. The best we can do is wait it out until everything is sorted. You'll just have to appear as a diligent student— but that shouldn't be too hard," Morgana meowed. Akira sighed and turned his eyes back up to the blackboard.

"Maybe…"

Akira took a quick bite of his yakisoba pan after classes had ended and the bell for lunch had rung. The four of the thieves stood in front of the floor two staircase and chattered with each other, but it was mostly Ryuji leading the conversation. Ryuji grinned and shook in excitement as he scrolled through his phone.

"It ain't much, but we've been gettin' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website… 'I wanna make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.' Ugh, deal with that yourself!" Ryuji groaned.

"We fix problems, but we don't fix simple things like that. People can figure that out themselves!" Morgana hissed from his bag. Akira smoothed out the wrinkles on his uniform and turned around to see a pair of girls walking out of the classroom.

"Hey, those girls…" Ann started whispering to them. Ryuji, who was still invested in looking at comments from the website, turned his head at Ann's words and peered at the girls.

"You know that Phantom Thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true," the long-haired girl speculated with her short-haired friend. The girl scoffed at the mention of it.

"It's _got_ to be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?"

"But look what happened to Kamoshida!"

"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself."

"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."

The short-haired girl had won the speculation and put her hands on her hips. "Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like _this!"_

The long-hair student fretted, a shaky voice escaping her mouth when she thought about the future. "I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance…"

Akira watched the two walk away from the classroom door. He faltered on whether he should tell his friends his worries about the future and what this entails for the school, but he remembered that he shouldn't keep his mouth shut. Friends weren't business partners, so it's fine…

"That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but… they'll see soon enough!" Ryuji boasted. Akira chuckled nervously and zipped his mouth up again at Ryuji's happy expression. He didn't want to ruin his mood so he stayed quiet as Ryuji kept insisting, "If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people'll _have_ to believe we exist."

Ann crossed her arms over her body and leaned to the side. "So about those big shots… We don't have any leads yet, right? Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too…"

"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?" Morgana was firm with them. They nodded their heads in agreements. Ryuji cracked his knuckles and met their gazes.

"I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around."

"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online." Ann volunteered.

Ryuji bit his lip and grimaced. "We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target…"

Ann patted him on the back and chuckled at his downcast expression. He looked like a lost puppy when he shoved his hands in his pockets as Ann soothed him. "There, there…"

"I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to…"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|1:51 PM|May 6th|**

**Ryuji:** the police are rly here… i saw em at the entrance

 **Ann:** yeah i saw them too!!! they were talking 2 the teachers!! 

**Ryuji:** the change of heart thing is seriously amazin huh?!?!?

 **Ann:** i just hope they dont find out that we're the ones responsible for it…

 **Ryuji:** pretty sure we'll be fine. there's no proof it was us

 **Akira:** i'm mostly concerned if they'll interrogate us for things besides the change of heart. like our relations with kamoshida…

 **Akira:** i dont really like police, if it wasn't obvious…

 **Akira:** i especially dont want them to find out what happened. the whole school would be in an uproar if they found out, and i'm not sure how i'd deal with it…

 **Ann:** yeah, i dont really wanna go out and talk about what happened to me to the police either… yours would be worse akira

 **Ryuji:** im already labeled as a thug so i dont care 2 much but what happened w/ kamoshida is gonna stack on top of ur record

 **Ryuji:** shit would be scary since ur a criminal here

 **Ann:** well its even worse because u 2 might be questioned by the police cause of the rumors that u threatened kamoshida

 **Ryuji:** we shouldn't worry too much about it theyll be takin to us about kamoshidas change of heart

 **Ryuji:** not our relation since he admitted to his shitty actions

 **Ann:** well yeah but still… its kinda scary😰

 **Ryuji:** i getchu but imagine us livin this double life!! we get to be savin people left n right!!

 **Ryuji:** dont worry too much about it akira. we just have to stay chill for a bit

 **Ryuji:** you always say to think positive thoughts so live up to it urself man!!

 **Akira:** ah right… i'll see you after classes Ryuji! bye bye

 **Ryuji:** see ya!

 **Ann:** ttyl! 💞🌸💟💌

"Hey, Kurusu!"

"Uh-oh, Akira…" Morgana hissed out through clamped down teeth. Uh-oh indeed, because Ushimaru-sensei already had a piece of chalk in his hand. They both stared at each other and Akira prepared his instincts to work when that dusty white stick eventually flew towards him.

"You! Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's talking to you?!"

Akira quickly leaned his body to the right and the chalk clattered onto the ground. He played it off cooly and slumped back in his seat. Ann was silently clapping at his efforts.

He packed his bag up and stared at his phone before standing up to go, but Mishima-san quickly walked up to him and stopped him.

"…Hey. Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"

"Huh? Y-yeah, I have."

Mishima-ssn smiled coyly at him. "I'm the one who started it."

"E-eh?!"

Mishima shoved his face close to him, his eyes sparkling and his frame shaking. Akira's eyes widened at the aura the boy gave off. This felt like the same gaze his hardcore fans gave him as Moon Yejun—!

"Um… You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"

Cover blown as soon as they started…? Wait, no, why would Mishima-san expose them? Akira couldn't think rationally these days (or maybe he was being too trusting). Mishima-san seemed to be keeping all of it under wraps, speaking in a low tone, and putting a hand to the side of his mouth to cover what he says.

"Y-you're a l-little bit close, Mishima-san…"

"Ah, sorry…! Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some _horrible_ things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it… But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know! And drop the honorifics! We're in the same grade!"

Akira felt the resolve and strength of Mishima-san. The clear look on his face, the unbranded skin from Kamoshida's beatings, and the light that came from him… It was bright, yet it was also soft. That strength… Akira wanted to find that strength also.

"I'm grateful for your help… Thank you."

Mishima shook his head. "I should be thanking _you._ There are tons of evil adults out there. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something… They can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people post their problems. Even if you _aren't_ a Phantom Thief, I want to pay them in some way."

"I'm sure they appreciate it immensely!"

"R-really? There are probably a _lot_ of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site."

"That's cool…! I saw it earlier!" Akira complimented him. Mishima pulled out his phone and showed off the website's poll.

"'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?' I want to work on this forum so eventually it'll be packed with tons of supportive posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' act of justice! Can I, please?"

"I-I'm not going to say no, but I feel bad that you're doing all of this work."

Mishima chuckled. "Oh, I'm doing this because I _want_ to. Don't worry about me."

Akira smiled and grabbed something for his bag. "To reward you for your efforts… Here! It isn't much, but it's something. It's a piece of chocolate."

"You say it isn't much, but this means a lot to me… I'll continue to support you!"

As soon as Mishima accepted the stray piece of chocolate that wandered in his bag with a bright smile, the world became black and white. He saw a card float in front of him, he grinned at it.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

"I'll see you later then!" Mishima unwrapped the chocolate and popped it in his mouth before waving goodbye.

Akira had a permanent grin on his face and Morgana popped his head out of the bag. "You're too kind for your own good, Akira…"

Ryuji and Ann walked into the classroom and saw Mishima walking away from Akira. Ryuji ruffled Akira's hair and leaned down to meet Akira in the eyes.

"We heard _all_ of that. As Morgana said, you're _way_ too nice… It was also a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

"So that forum is Mishima-kun's…" Ann muttered.

"He probably has our identities figured out, but he seems happy. I don't think he'll say anything about it, though," Akira admitted to them.

Ryuji sighed. "I guess we should have a little chat about this later. Especially _you,_ 'Kira! You were good at lyin' before but now it's almost impossible for you to do it!"

"S-sorry!"

"Well, it isn't a _bad_ thing… I think it's good that Akira is being truthful with himself. It's not healthy to lie all the time," Ann told them. Akira nodded enthusiastically at Ann's answer.

Morgana cleared his throat when Akira picked up the bag with watery eyes from being scolded by Ryuji. "I will say though… a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful."

They all looked down at Morgana. Akira wondered what that 'unexpectedly useful' quality would be. The solving problems thing seemed to be more of a sideline job.

"Anyways," Ryuji butted in, "we gotta get lookin' for a new target."

"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one," Ann said. "Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and—"

"Wait, oh _CRAP!"_ Ryuji yelled.

"Ack— What's with you?!" Ann scolded Ryuji's outburst.

"Don't we have an exam comin' up?!"

_Ah._

Ryuji froze when Ann gave him a knowing look. Akira blinked lazily and looked between the two of them. _"Wait, don't tell me that Ryuji didn't know exams were coming up…?"_

"I assume you're going to struggle this time too?" Ann taunted him. Ryuji stomped his foot down and argued with her straight in her face.

"It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is… English!" 

"I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"

Morgana snickered at the back and forth conversation between the two blonds. "Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji."

"What's _questionable_ is whether you're really even a human," Ryuji shot back. "Ha! Good comeback, huh?"

"…Let's discuss with our fists!"

_"Bring it!"_

"Will you two stop it?! You're making Aki feel awkward!" Ann reprimanded them non-stop. Akira chuckled nervously and pushed the stray hand of his hair behind his ear.

"If you guys struggle that much with exams… Do you guys want to have a few study sessions sometime? I'll help you guys out."

"Group study sessions?" Ann asked him.

"As long as I don't die or else Ma is gonna kill me…" Ryuji dejectedly thought about his mother's rage about what'll happen when he comes back with straight F's for all of his exams.

"I can bring your grade up to at least a C for every exam!"

"That's impossible… you underestimate how stupid I am," Ryuji told Akira. Slammed his hands down on Ryuji's broad shoulder and pushed him down to meet with his eyes.

"Positive thoughts! Happy thoughts! I'll make all of you reach for a C!"

"When the hell didja get so aggressive?! Wait, would it be considered 'aggressive' if you're tellin' me I can do better…?"

"Positive aggression?" Ann suggested. Ryuji snapped his finger.

"Seems about right… Well, I'm gonna head out. We should talk about settin' a study session mater in the chat."

"See you later, Ryuji!"

Ann and Ryuji high-fived each other as he passed her to head out of the door. Ann put her hands behind her back and hesitantly asked, "Hey, um, Akira… Wanna hang out today? I kind of wanna talk about some things about myself… personal stuff."

"Oh! You can rely on me, Ann. I'm free to go out anytime!"

"Really…? All right! Let's go hang out at the diner then! Or maybe not 'cause… No, it's just my imagination. Yeah, let's go to the diner!"

Morgana jumped out of Akira's bag and clawed the ground. "I'll be taking a walk around then. Come and get me when you're done!"

"A-all right! Ann, what diner do you mean, by the way…?"

"Oh, I keep forgetting you've only been here for a little bit… Here, I'll show you! The food there is _really_ good!"

Ann dragged him across Tokyo to a quaint diner. Wooden tables and warm lighting opened to them as they sat in one of the diner booths. They ordered some food and it came out quickly, two meals placed in front of them. A cup of coffee sat in front of Ann, and she stared into it. A murky and muddled expression reflected her, passionate eyes that were also _scared._

Ann cleared her throat. "Hey, um… There's something I want to talk to you about, Akira. It's about Shiho…"

_"Ah, I should've expected her to say that but I didn't…"_

"Well… I went to visit her in the hospital. She… She said she was sorry. Sorry for not telling me about Kamoshida… about all the things he was doing to her…" Ann shook her head at the memory. "But it was my fault too. I didn't realize how much trouble she was in… I wasn't there for her… So, I apologized as well."

"Shiho is really strong, isn't she? Even when we visited her during the hospital, I couldn't stop thinking about how she managed to live through that pain…"

"Shiho really is a great girl. She's so strong!" Ann nodded with a smile. Akira could _melt_ at her smile. "I'm glad I finally got to tell her everything I couldn't bring myself to say before. And, um…"

"Yeah?"

"Kamoshida threatened to take Shiho off the team if I didn't sleep with him… I talked about it with Ryuji while you were— A-anyway, I had only agreed to it so that I wouldn't ruin Shiho's dreams… But now that I think about it, he never would have put her on the bench and cost his team games…" Ann settled into her seat and swirled her spoon in her cup of coffee. "I seriously should have dared him to try and take her starting spot… But in the end, maybe I just didn't believe in her ability."

"…It might be mean to say this, but I want to say what I think… You might be right."

"It's not rude at all… I knew it, I'm so stupid… All of this happened because of how weak I am… That's why I believed Kamoshida's authority outweighed Shiho's own ability to earn her starting spot." Ann scratched behind her ear and averted her gaze from Akira. "I got a phone call from Kamoshida the day you confronted him… and cried. Ryuji was there to support me, but I felt so alone… scared, even. Because he was there, I decided to not go. But after I saw what happened, I wanted to regret everything that I did… but then you told me the truth. That no matter what happened, Kamoshida would pull someone in there regardless…

"I was surprised at first when you told me that, but I wanted to accept it. You've already accepted it; I just need to accept it for myself that it happened… You are too kind for your own good."

Akira stuttered, "Y-you're too much— I-I haven't done anything…"

Ann shook her head. "You've done so much for me! Back then, people used to call me all sorts of names… 'Prissy bitch,' 'Kamoshida's girl'… I got tired of it pretty quickly. But to tell you the truth, someday I want to be able to take labels like that in stride to tell the world that it's fine that it happened… Hey, um… Personas are the power of the heart, right? That means if my heart gets stronger, my Persona will too. So… I want to strengthen my heart. And I want to use that strength to help the people around me."

"I guess we're the same in that… We both want to become stronger people. We both want to save people, just like we did with Kamoshida's heart," Akira told her. Ann leaned back in her seat, her legs kicked up, and accidentally slid over his pants.

"Though honestly… I don't even know what 'strong' is."

"We can find it together! W-we have the same goal and we'll find the answer… I promise." Akira held out his pinky finger to her. Ann stared at his pale hands before she reached out, their pinkies interlocking and their thumbs touching to seal the deal.

"You're making a lot of promises today… But I know you'll keep them. You're just that kind of a person! I'm already feeling a little stronger!" Ann laughed. Akira couldn't help the bright smile on his face whenever he looked at Ann. Something about her made his chest feel heavy and painful, but he didn't feel that it was wrong. He still couldn't place his finger on why he felt this way. His cheeks felt like they were burning.

"Let's eat up! I'll be relying on you and you'll be relying on me… Let's make our hearts super strong!" Ann encouraged him. They let their grasp slip off of each other. Akira cut through his food with a quick swipe of his fork as Ann held her cup of coffee to her mouth.

"That sounds nice but… what would our first step be?"

"Huh, good question. A strong heart… Hmm… Oh, how about this: I won't get any refills on fountain drinks!"

"T-that's an interesting concept for a strong heart…"

Ann gaped at him and pouted. "What?! I mean, they're free, so not getting any would mean you have a strong heart!"

"I-I don't think that would be the right definition…" Akira admitted to her. Ann sighed and stirred her cup of coffee and blazing speeds, even though all of the milk and sugar she put in had already settled.

"It isn't…?"

Akira could spend hours talking with Ann. It felt like she never ran out of things to stay and he couldn't stop listening to her. Her voice sounded sweet like strawberries and he didn't want to part ways when they were done with their food, but it was inevitable.

They talked about ways they'd strengthen themselves, but it was all word garbage that didn't make sense. They decided to sit on the topic for later until we got a _really_ good idea.

When he went home, a key was flung straight towards his face. Akira fumbled with the key in his hands and managed to keep it in his hands. He let out a sigh of relief and Sojiro told him, "That's the key to this place. I'm officially leaving you to lock up from now on. I can't keep waiting for you to come home. Don't start any fires, _okay?"_

"T-thank you, Sojiro! I promise not to burn down Leblanc…"

"I'm not sure that I believe that…"

Akira went outside to enjoy the true Shibuya nightlife. It was crazy seeing even more people than usual walking on the scramble crossing. Some people were passed out drunk, some seemed to be incredibly lively, but Akira was….

"Another part-time job? You'll be working two of them…" Morgana was wary of Akira's decision. Wouldn't that be too much work…? Akira digressed with his opinion and gave his reasoning.

"We need the money… I like working anyways, it makes me feel like I'm doing something important!"

"You're already doing important things! You're a Phantom Thief!"

"Shhh! I'm calling them!" Akira dialed in the number and held the phone up to his ear. He was going to be working today if he could, and the manager allowed him to work that day. Akira pumped his fist in success, but that excitement died down when he dressed in the employee uniform.

_"It's another fashion disaster…"_

It was another disaster when he realized that _he didn't have any information._ He was going to be doing everything by himself for the nighttime rush hour. Morgana hissed when the manager left. "This job is ludicrous! You have to do everything all by yourself from the very beginning? Oh well. Just give it your best shot, I guess. I'll be cheering you on."

Akira rolled up his sleeves and looked at the door that led to the outer area where all the customers were.

He died. He was _dead._ Even when he received his pay he felt _dead._

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken a second part-time job… But hey, you managed to take all those orders by yourself."

"Three-thousand and six-hundred yen… Only for three-thousand and six-hundred yen…" Akira crinkled the bills and coins in his hand. "I-I feel cheated—!"

"You were pretty proficient, though!"

"Don't try to make me feel better…"

The ride on the train to school was packed and stuffy as usual. The Kamoshida incident was spread like a wildfire. It was even on the train's monitor. Akira didn't see any mention of the Phantom Thieves yet, so it was a bit disheartening to see their work go unnoticed. They just needed to wait until they found another target and _then_ people would start talking…

"None of these posts are any good. Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends," Ryuji groaned, pushing on one of the tables on the rooftop with his foot. "There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace…"

"We can't get everything online… Finding a post with a name _and_ location is asking a lot…" Ann sat down on the side and smoothed out her skirt.

"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!"

"Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?" Morgana scoffed.

"…Yeah, you're right. We should prolly just hold off 'til exams are done with, huh?" Ryuji conferred. "We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up empty-handed if it happens…"

They heard the door creak. Akira gasped and quickly pushed himself off of the wall. Morgana flicked his head to the door before pouncing into the bag. Ann mumbled at the appearance, "Oh…"

A girl with short brown hair and reddish eyes walked onto the roof, a year with a '3' displayed on a button that sat on top of her vest. She looked familiar.

 _"This girl… She's the student council president, isn't she? Nijima Makoto, I think…"_ Akira thought to himself as she informed them with a stern tone.

"This place is off-limits, you know."

Ryuji grumbled. "…We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"

Ryuji was already aggressive and on edge at her appearance. Ann didn't like to see her either, the hair on her arms stood up and she glared at Nijima-senpai. The older girl continued to speak, "The troublemaker, the center of gossip, and the _infamous_ transfer student. Hmm, interesting combination."

"Tch…!" Ann hissed. "Great way to start a conversation…"

"By the way…" Nijima-senpai looked between the three of them with prying eyes. She looked to be onto something, but Akira had been getting worse and worse at identifying people's motives. _He couldn't tell._ "It seems as though you got to know Kamoshida-sensei pretty well."

Akira stiffened up at the name of Kamoshida. He didn't feel so awkward when it came from Ryuji, Ann's, or Morgana's mouth, but it just felt wrong coming from her. It made him feel sick. He stuttered out an anxious response, trying to hold in his fear, "N-not really…"

"Yeah, y'know he's only been here a month or so." Ryuji defended him.

"Hm… I heard Kamoshida-sensei used a volley team member to spread details of your past record. Don't you hate him? Kamoshida-sensei, I mean."

Ann and Ryuji could see how Akira looked, and it didn't look good. His face was turning pale and he was picking at the skin near his nails behind his back.

"W-well, uh…"

"What's all this about? My friend here's an upstanding guy." Ryuji snarled. Nijima-senpai shook her head and crossed her arms, trying to appear more friendly. At this moment, she terrified Akira. He felt like a small insect trapped in a web… _and she was the spider._

"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-sensei. We also have yet to find the male sexual assault victim… I just wanted to ask around. I mean, rumors of that odd, calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."

Ann looked to her two friends and snapped back. "I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Nijima-senpai."

"I dunno that it was _tactless…"_ Ryuji muttered under his breath. "Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."

"At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay…"

"Horseplay?!" Ann barked. Nijima-senpai brushed off her angered look and spoke soft and sweet.

"Ah yes, by the way… It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all… I'm sorry to have interrupted you."

She walks away and closes the door again, leaving three of them pissed off and one of them shaky. Ann pushed herself up and looked at the door as Nijima-senpai's head disappeared down the stairs. "What was that about?"

Morgana jumped out of Akira's bag and raked his claws against the table. "…She's on to us. That girl seems rather sharp. We should be cautious of her."

"S-s-sorry… I couldn't hide my expression very well. W-when you guys bring him up, I usually don't mind b-but, I couldn't stop shaking when she said it…"

"Tch, she really pisses me off! Botherin' us like that… Talk about a pain in the ass…"

Morgana turned over to Ryuji. "That reminds me… Study hard. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities."

"True, studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be phantom thieves…"

"I guess you got a point…" Ryuji groaned at Ann's agreement with Morgana. "But man, it's just so _lame…_ I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'…"

"W-well, you're technically helping people…"

"Huh? How so?" Ann asked Akira.

"You're helping yourself."

"Don't put it like that or you're gonna make me study…" Ryuji groaned. "I hate studyin'…"

"Well since you hate studying so much, I have something interesting to show you beforehand. You guys _did_ originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all."

"Mission?" Ryuji questioned. Morgana smirked and hopped down from the tables, walked over to the door, and flicked his tail.

"Follow me!"


	15. Chapter 13: So Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mementos is the strangest concept that Akira has ever heard of. He also didn't expect Morgana to turn into a bus and then for him to be expected to drive said bus. This just might lead to a new target, but before Akira can truly celebrate he gets a weird feeling in his chest…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO GUESS WHAT I OFFICALLY MOVED FROM WATTPAD!! I'M AO3 ONLY NOW!! thats why you dont see the shitty ending notes like "word count: blah blah blah" and stuff like that!!! I feel so liberated! 🎉🎉🎉
> 
> Idk if i mentioned this but i also have a consistent updating schedule! If i did sorry for mentioning this again i have goldfish brain :(((( i update every sunday between 3-10 PM PST now!! 🎉🎉🎉 more celebration noises!!

"What're you bringin' us here for?" Ryuji questioned. They were sitting outside of the stairs that led down into the station. They all had their phones out and waited for Morgana's instruction.

"Just do as I told you."

"All right, I got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?"

"Look for a post with a full name in it," Morgana told Ryuji. Ryuji shook his head. "I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember? But man, people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit…"

"'He won't listen to what I say'… No wait, there's no name on this one." Ann groaned and skimmed through the many comments and requests.

"'Someone's bad-mouthin' me in online chat rooms'… This one's got a name."

"Ignore those," Morgana leaned over Ryuji's shoulder and looked at the comment. "Aren't there any posts about more _serious_ trouble?"

Ann raised her hand to call attention to her as she recited a comment, "'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Nakanohara Natsuhiko.' It says he's a teller at City Hall."

"A government worker's stalkin' someone?"

"That should be a suitable target," Morgana mewled to the three of them. "All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready."

"We're just gonna jump right into a Palace? Fine by me!" Ryuji pulled out the app in a split second.

"Hey, what happened to all that talk of 'unanimous decision'?" Ann argued with Ryuji.

"Aren't you going to agree to it anyway, Ann…?"

"Well, uh… Don't call me out like that!" Ann huffed at Akira's honesty and crossed her arms.

"Let's go then! We need a name and a place, right? So the name is…"

"Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say," Morgana instructed. Ryuji looked up to the cat that was hanging over him and raised his eyebrows. Morgana cleared his throat. "The keyword is… 'Mementos.'"

"Huh? What're you tryin' to pull?"

"Just listen to me! It should work… I think."

"The famous line…" Akira mumbled.

"Uhh… 'M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s,' was it?" Ryuji said. The phone beeped and he quickly pulled himself off of the ground at the voice of the phone.

"Candidate found." 

"We got a hit?!" Ryuji stared at his phone in shock and awe and turned to a smug-looking Morgana.

"Just as I thought!"

Before they knew it, the area around them was swirling and swirling…. And then everybody in the area was gone except for them. Ann stood on edge at the disappearance.

"Everyone disappeared! It… kind of feels like I'm… walking on air?" Ann walked along the ground. Akira shifted his soles around on the floor and he felt weirdly floaty. His body felt lighter and even though in the Metaverse his already light body became even more like a feather, this felt more abnormal.

"Is this that Nakanohara guy's Palace?" Ryuji asked Morgana.

"That's half right, but half wrong. This _is_ a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones. Come on, let's head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why. It may be because they're drawn to something."

"Underground? How are we going to get there?" Ann hesitated.

"How? You use it every day on your way to school. Follow me!" Morgana jumped down and skittered down the stairs. Ryuji quickly ran down the stairs to follow Morgana down.

"Ah! Wait up, dammit!"

They all clambered down the stairs and went through the card scanners. The station was veiny and a red hue covered the entire area. It felt the same as the station but it felt _wrong._

"The hell is this place?" Ryuji mumbled. Akira shoved his hands in his pockets and his eyes widened when he stared down at his shoes.

"Wait, our clothes changed?!" Ryuji stared at all of them. Ann gasped and turned to Morgana.

"The Shadows know we're here?!"

"Since the moment we stepped in," Morgana said nonchalantly.

"You've should've told us!"

"We're still safe right here. I've come to investigate a number of times. Shadows never come up to this floor," Morgana meowed. "But it's a different story once you go down. This place is simply teeming with them."

Akira crossed his arms and looked down the elevators worriedly. "That isn't very reassuring."

"More importantly, what is this Mementos?! It's about time you start explaining," Ann demanded from Morgana.

"Mementos is… _everyone's_ Palace."

 _"Huh?_ Whaddya mean, 'everyone's'?" Ryuji asked.

"A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person's wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now… Mementos."

"Now that you mention it, this place feels a bit different from Kamoshida's Palace…" Ann walked along the area, her heels clicking onto the floor. It felt weird…

"When you say shared… you mean they're all put together? Even though they're just strangers?" Ryuji kept throwing questions to Morgana.

"Think of it as the collective unconscious… No, never mind. You wouldn't understand that." Morgana sighed.

"So what you're saying is… Using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who _don't_ have a Palace?" Ann told Morgana. He smiled and turned his head to her.

"Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different though."

"But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'?"

Morgana cackled at Ryuji's question. Akira didn't like the glint in his eyes when he jumped off the card scanner and ran to an open area. "It seems the time has finally come…"

"Morganaaa…. transfooooooorm!"

He jumped into the air and in a puff of smoke, he turned into… a _car?!_

"Come now, Panther. Ladies first," Morgana invited her into his dwelling that was also his body. Akira froze, paralyzed at the sight. _What?!_ He knew that this place was crazy but Morgana could turn into a car?!

"M-my head hurts… H-how…?" Akira stuttered.

"This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training," Morgana explained. The van put him off since it moved frantically. It bent and flexed itself, detaching itself from the wheels. "It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."

"You turning into a car is _totally_ different than our clothes changin'!"

"For some reason, 'cats turning into buses' is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public."

"Why a bus though?" Ann wandered around the bus.

"…No idea."

"Wait, why didn't you do this at the castle?!" Ryuji yelled at Morgana.

"I would have if I _could!_ But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!" Morgana argued back as Ryuji strutted up to him and went to get into the back of the car. Ann noticed this and ran after him.

"Hey, Skull! Ladies first!"

"Hey, ergh— Stop pullin' me! That's dangerous!"

"Panther! Please be gentle!"

 _"I see why they assigned me as the leader now…"_ Akira thought as he sat inside the car. Ryuji sat in the middle of them and put his arms on the back seats.

"All aboard! Let's go!"

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds… _huh?_

"Why are you all sitting back there? I'm a car, remember? I'm not going anywhere unless someone drives me," Morgana complained to them.

"You can't drive yourself?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Do you know how to drive?" Ann asked Akira.

"B-but I don't have a license…!"

 _"THAT'S_ what you're worried about?"

"Eh, who cares," Ryuji said. "We're drivin' a cat car through the Metaverse."

"All right then, we'll leave the driving to you!" Ann patted Akira's back. He swallowed his saliva and slid the door open, placing himself in the driver's seat.

"Ummm, will my feet even touch the pedals…?" Akira reached his feet down and barely managed to feel them beneath his feet.

Ryuji jumped over to the front seat and Ann closed the doors on her side tight, leaning over to see Akira figuring out all of the workings of a car.

"Ah, geez. What a pain… Where's the key to this thing?"

"Why would you need a key?! There's a switch just down next to the steering wheel," Morgana informed them.

"Ah! You're right."

Akira tried to reach for the switch but he missed it. Morgana giggled. "That tickles! Lower, lower!"

"Ah! Got it!" Akira flipped the switch and the engine started purring along with Morgana.

"Oh, there… That feels soooo gooooood…"

"Uh, is that purrin' I hear? What a creepy-ass car!" Ryuji snorted.

"We're going full throttle! It's time to fly!"

"N-no it isn't! Okay, this is the break, this is the accelerator… Wait, is this car manual…?" Akira was extremely thorough with the car and its workings. He hadn't driven a car before, he just knew some of the parts that it has… was he really qualified for this?!

"You don't have to be so nervous, Joker! Just go for it!" Ann told him

"But what if I crash the car and we all _die?!"_

"Then we die knowin' we changed Kamoshida's heart!" Ryuji patted him on the back. Akira groaned and put his shoes on the accelerator and hovered his other foot above the break.

"Anyway, Nakanohara's somewhere in here, right?" Ann inquired.

Morgana nodded. "Most likely in a segment of his own creation. Don't worry, it won't be the size of a Palace. Our next step is to find an entrance to that segment."

"And what's this entrance gonna look like?"

Morgana responded to Ryuji, "I have no idea, but strong distortions should be a pretty obvious visual clue."

Ryuji groaned. "So we just gotta go wanderin' around for it then? What a goddamn pain in the ass…"

"I-I'm sure it won't be too bad, Skull! Keep your head up, I'll probably be more focused on not crashing us…"

Akira changed it into drive mode and pushed his foot down into the pedal. He was worried about the fact that there were zero seat belts, but the Metaverse magic should save them, right…?

"Shadows!" Akira slammed the pedal down and rammed the car into the black mass wandering along the tracks of the subway. Morgana yelped and all of them jumped out onto the floor when Morgana's form disappeared.

"W-wait a second… What are all of these numbers?! Am I going crazy?! W-why does it look like—"

"Oh, right! You can see it now, Panther!" Morgana grinned. Ryuji's eyes didn't know where to look. He was seeing things but he didn't know _how._ It was distracting but it wasn't distracting at the same time…

"We'll talk about it after this battle! Just let loose for now!" Akira told them. Ann groaned and stuttered.

"D-dance, Carmen!" Ann let a fireball chase one of the four Slimes around and it hit them dead on. "Mona!"

"On it! Garu!" Morgana rushed in and passed by Ryuji and Akira. Zorro appeared bright and bold, slinging his sword in a Z shape and sharp blades of wind took it down to the ground. Ryuji charged in and slammed his bat down on it and it crumbled into a puddle.

"Jack Frost! _Garu!"_

The last blades of wind chopped into its being and chunks of dirty and muddled liquid splattered onto the ground. They didn't even waste time to hear their pleas as they beat them to a pulp.

"So… care to explain what these things are? It's a blue bar and pink bar and I see these numbers floatin' over them… Is this some kinda video game?" Ryuji mumbled to him while they were inside of the van.

"It's the effects of the Metaverse. After you reach a certain level in your power, you get to see all of the statuses of yourself and others. You'll get used to it over time," Morgana explained to them. "It'll just feel like a part of your daily life at some point and with a bit more leveling, you'll be able to see the status of things even outside of the Metaverse!"

"T-that's crazy… So this blue bar is the amount of stamina I have and this pink bar is how much I can use my Persona before getting tired?" Ann questioned.

"Precisely! Great job, Panther! Akira here can already see the status of everything."

"Huh?! When did that happen?!" Ryuji shoved his face near Akira and tried to pry answers out of him.

"I-I've been able to see them ever since I got my Persona…" Akira muttered. "You can see the health benefits and skill point benefits that medicine and food have in the real world that helps in Metaverse…"

"Aha! So if we go by video game terms, the blue bar is HP and the pink bar is SP?"

"U-umh, I guess?" Akira stuttered to Ryuji.

Ryuji settled himself down in his seat and grinned. "All right, we're officially calling it HP and SP for now! It makes it easier!"

"Of course you would…" Ann sighed.

There were a _lot_ of Shadows. Luckily all of them were relatively weak so they didn't have to waste too much time. It was mostly practice for Akira's driving skills and to brush up on their skills.

"Dude, the hell is this? It's all wavy and shit," Ryuji said. In front of them was a gaping hole of black and red that seemed to suck everything into it. The tracks on the ground curved up and crammed into the changing space.

"This is the place… I sense the target up ahead."

Akira stared at the large hole. "U-uh, are you saying that we're supposed to go into here…?

"Yeah. Are you ready, Joker?"

"U-uh, um…"

This was terrifying. How could it not be— it's a void of black and red. Akira sucked up his fear and held the wheel steady. "We're going in!"

They charged in and ended up on the other side. It looked the same as the other area, but it wasn't manic. The tracks stopped here, but there was something at the end of it…

"That seems to be Nakanohara's Shadow," Morgana whispered.

"Lemme see. Some front desk guy at City Hall became a stalker, right?" Ryuji hissed.

Ann glared at the Shadow from afar, a black smoke emitting from its body. "I don't know how much evil he's done, but we have to do something if he's bothering other people."

Morgana nodded his head. "All right, we'll go talk to him."

They cautiously ran up to Nakanohara's Shadow. He was muttering something unintelligible and they earned his anger when he realized their presence.

"Who are you?!"

"Are you that stalker?! Haven't you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?" Ann reprimanded the Shadow. Nakanohara growled. "She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with me doing the same?!"

"You can't treat some like shit just 'cause they did it to you! What a load of crap…" Ryuji fumed. "We're gonna change the hearts of all the bastards like you!"

"There are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame…?" His shoulders shook from his anger. "He stole everything from me, but you're letting him off the hook?!"

"…Madarame? The hell's this guys goin' on about?" Ryuji spat. Before any of them could ask Nakanohara's Shadow anything, he distorted into a red demon.

Morgana brought out his sword and told the team, "Get ready! Here he comes!"

Akira gripped his knife and stared at Nakanohara. The Shadow slammed his fist on the ground angrily and snarled. "Now that I finally have what's rightfully mine… I'm not going to let you take it away… Look… This is a winner-takes-all world. Come fight me and I'll show you what I mean!"

"Pixie!" Akira yelled. The sharp-eared girl in blue appeared behind him and snapped her finger, a bolt of lightning striking him down. Nakanohara groaned and fell to his knees, struggling to get back up. Akira turned over to Ryuji and they quickly struck each other's hands. "I'm counting on you!"

"I'll make a full blast! _Captain Kidd!"_ Ryuji let down another smash of lightning and Nakanohara screeched.

"You damn _brats—_ _AGHHH!"_

Ryuji shut him up with another strike of lightning that blazed through him. "Oh shuddup, you damn stalker! Panther!"

 _"Carmen!"_ She lashed out her whip around Nakanohara, surrounded by flames, and wrapped it around Nakanohara's Shadow body. She tensed her muscles and spread her legs out, using both of her arms to bring him up in the air and slam him into the wall. "Don't even try me!"

"How about you shut up, slut!"

Nakanohara burst from the cracked wall and dived in to attack, a large floating sledgehammer hovering right above Ann's head. She saw it moving in slow motion towards her face. She could only think of one thing— _"Oh shit."_

"AH—!" It slammed right onto her head, the force of it knocking her straight into the ground. Morgana rushed in with Zorro behind him and barreled towards Nakanohara, his sword slashing through him. Morgana turned his head away from his target after making his hit and looked to Ann.

"Panther, are you okay?!" Morgana asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine! It hurts a little, I'll be good!" She lifted her head, thick blood seeping from the top of her forehead and her nose. Nakanohara stretched his hands out to Morgana while he was distracted by Ann's distress.

"Where do you think you're looking?!"

"Huh?!"

_Bang!_

Akira unloaded his entire clip onto Nakanohara. Nakanohara was bloodied and battered, but his health didn't seem to be dropping. Morgana jumped out and backed away. "Thanks, Joker!"

"Don't thank me yet. We still have more to go!" All of them stared at Nakanohara's health bar. They only chipped around a fourth of it.

Akira didn't know how long it took. He saw Ryuji getting slammed to the side and crash into the wall, screaming out in pain. He had blood running down his busted lip and forming bruises on his skin. Akira wiped away the blood on his face. "Dia!"

"Shit… We only have a little left too! Sorry to make you heal me like that!" Ryuji apologized, getting back onto his feet. Akira's mask reappeared on his face and he turned his head to Nakanohara on his last thread of life.

"Don't worry about it too much just—"

Akira realized that he was also on his last string of life. The hammer came straight forward, aiming itself backward before the eventual slam.

_"Not on my watch!"_

Morgana ran towards Nakanohara a split second before the hammer smashed down on him, and he stabbed the Shadow straight through his sword. The hammer in front of Akira disappeared in a puddle of black and red.

It was silent except for the gurgles that came from Nakanohara's mouth. Morgana slowly took out the sword and stumbled away from the wide-eyed Shadow. Nakanohara's form changed into his yellow-eyed Shadow and breathed heavily as he slumped over.

The four of them gathered around the man as the Shadow stuttered and clutched a hand on their stomach. "I-I'm sorry… Please forgive me… I couldn't stop obsessing… N-not after this person I trusted used me and then disposed of me."

"Who is this person?" Akira asked him, pushing his hair and up flicking his blood out of his sight.

"Hold on, are you talkin' about that guy you mentioned earlier… Madarame?"

"I… was afraid of being thrown away again like some worthless thing," Nakanohara told Ryuji.

"So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too…" Ann frowned. "Still, you shouldn't have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess."

"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love for her…" Nakanohara sighed. He lifted his head to meet Akira's eyes. "…Hey, you can change people's hearts, right? In that case… Won't you change Madarame's heart?! Before more people fall victim to him…"

Nakanohara's Shadow disappeared in a bright blue light, fading into the air. He left behind a glowing orb.

"Change… Madarame's heart?" Ann stared at the sparkling orb that floated up and down in the air, listless and free.

"What's that shinin' thing?" Ryuji questioned as Akira walked up to it and snatched it into his hand.

"A Treasure."

"It's a bud of a Treasure, to be precise. Had we left it be, it very well may have blossomed into a Palace." Morgana saw Akira open up his palm. It was a pearl. He smiled and put the Treasure into their shared space.

"So Nakanohara had a change of heart, right?" Ryuji queried Morgana, the leather of his gloves were still coated with blood, but it was slowly chipping away into the air.

"Most likely."

"But how are we supposed to know if we succeeded?"

"The lady posted the dude's name online. If he really does change, she'll prolly comment again," Ryuji pointed out to Ann.

Morgana agreed. "Hm, you do have a point."

"Either way, trainin' against Shadows down here's the best! It's great prep for our next target!" Ryuji stretched his arms out. All of the blood was gone from their uniforms as well as their injuries, but their health was still far from being full.

Ann professed, "It's also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online."

"On top of that, we can sell whatever treasure we get for some cold, hard cash!" Morgana was just as excited as Ann, but for completely different reasons. Akira chuckled when he saw Morgana's ears twitch and his tail jiggle.

"Sounds like things are goin' pretty great for us! All right, we did it!" Ryuji cheered

"U-unless I crash the car…"

 _"Joker, don't even joke about crashing me!_ I still have one more place to show you guys before we leave, so _please_ don't kill me."

Akira's hands tried to not shake when he drove the car around. Morgana explained to them that this place was essentially a labyrinth— it changed its layout every single time they came here, so maps would be useless here. But apparently, he was supposed to be searching for a platform to stop at.

Akira parked the car near a rest stop and they all hopped out. They were looking around the dusty area before Ryuji stared the other way. "Hold on a sec… You guys hearin' somethin'?"

Akira looked to where Ryuji's eyes were glued to and he saw a train with red insides screech to a halt. Ryuji yelled, "The trains're totally runnin'!"

"Of course they are. We're in the subway, you know."

"Yeah, but I thought this was a Palace!" Ann couldn't detach her gaze away from the train as Morgana kept speaking.

"Then maybe this is how the _public_ views this place? I don't know."

"People go through this darkness… every day?"

"Forget that!" Ryuji shouted. You sure we're cool runnin' around on these tracks?!"

"It should be fine as long as we're not in the same ones… I think. I'm no train expert."

"You _gotta_ be kiddin' me…!" Ryuji moaned out in displeasure. As much as Akira joked about crashing the car, he was much more scared of being _crushed_ by a train.

"Anyway," Morgana turned away from the crimson and black train, "let's head to the lower area. It should be right after we go down that escalator."

They walked down the escalators and they were met with a hypnotizingly atrocious red pattern that looked like string. It was placed methodically over the ground and the walls. Ann cringed. "…What is this place? It's kinda creepy."

"And a dead end at that. Why's it even exist?" Ryuji snorted. He looked at the intricate details on the walls but there didn't seem to be anything.

"Now hold on… Just watch. This is most likely not an ordinary wall. If my hunch is correct…"

Morgana walked up to the wall and placed his paw on it. It felt like an earthquake and the entire area shook around them as the wall opened itself up, and showed the next escalator down.

"A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information." 

"See?! It's just as I thought!" Morgana snickered and turned to them with a proud smile.

"What do you mean?"

"That wall wouldn't budge when I came here by myself before," he shared. "But it'd be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn't it?"

"So you were thinkin' there's gotta be more?"

"Yeah!" Morgana trilled. "Now that Kamoshida's Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us… I knew something had to have changed down here!"

"How deep is it? Should we try going further down?" Ann wondered.

"Let's not. That's not why we're here today, remember? We've already accomplished our goal. We should head back and I'll explain more once we're home."

They all started walking back from where they came from. Right before they were about to exit, something flowery was sitting in the middle. It smelt like lilies and buttercups. To the left of the flowery orb was a… _child?_ With white hair and yellow eyes with a car filled with gadgets.

"A person?! In Mementos?!"

Akira doubted that this was a human. They sort of looked like a pair of twins that he knows of…

"Hmm…" The boy inspected the orb before reaching his hand out to it. The orb bubbled into his hand, and a fancy concoction with a flower appeared in his hand. It looked like a tropical alcohol you would get on an expensive vacation. "Maybe it's this one…"

The boy chugged it from the straw, smiling and licking his lips. "Ooo! Tasty!"

"Hey, what's he drinkin'?" Ryuji and the three of them walked up to the boy that was sipping a flowery concoction. The boy quickly set away his drink at their appearance.

"Oh? Hmm, I thought I felt something strange for a second… So, who're you guys?"

 _"We_ should be asking _you_ that!" Morgana quipped.

"Good point. Sorry about that," the boy said, unphased by Morgana's odd form. "It's customary for a human to introduce itself before asking another human for its name. Thanks for reminding me, Misterrr… um, Tanuki? No, um… Hmmm… Cat?"

"What took so long to come up with 'Cat'?! And I'm neither of those!"

"Yeah, uh, gettin' confused about that seems pretty normal to me."

"My name is Jose," the boy introduced himself. "I'm looking for flowers. I'm pretty surprised to see some normal humans running around. I didn't know people could just come here."

"Well, we are pretty special— W-wait, that's not important!" Morgana shook his head and smashed away his self-fulfilling praise. "What _you_ are is what matters right now!"

"When you said you were looking for flowers, did you mean that floating thing?" Ann inquired. Jose nodded and showed off his drink again.

"That's right, pretty lady. Those seem to be the ones I've been looking for. I'm collecting as many of 'em as I can 'cause I'm studying humans."

"Studying humans? That's why you turned a flower into a drink?"

"Yup."

"Drinkin' flower juice counts as studying?"

"Don't think about it too much, Skull…" Akira nudged a confused looking Ryuji. He looked like he was lost in a mindscape.

"Hey, could you guys help me with my research?"

"H-how would we do that?" Akira asked him.

"By collecting flowers for me. I wouldn't ask you to do it for free, though. I find all kinds of stuff you can use while you're exploring. I'll trade you some of that stuff for more flowers."

"Whaddya think? Should we try an' get him some more flowers?" Ryuji questioned all of his teammates.

"I mean, it won't hurt to do it. We should be a bit careful though since we don't know him too well… Sorry, Jose."

"Oh, I'm sure he's fine. Let's give him a hand. He seems like he could use it, and it shouldn't be too hard to pick flowers while we're exploring, right?"

"Okay," Ryuji looked at Ann, "any _other_ reasons?"

 _"Hehe,_ he called me 'pretty lady.'"

"Nooo! Lady Ann…"

"Eh, it's prolly fine. I mean, he said he'd give us useful stuff an' all. Whaddya say?"

"Well," Jose took another sip of his drink, "are you going to help me find the flowers or not?"

"U-ummm… Yeah, we'll help!"

"Thanks!"

"Wait, wait, hang on a second!" Morgana stepped in between the two of them. "We still have _no_ idea who this kid is! Don't go thankin' us just yet, bud!"

"Aw, are you tired, kitty? You seem grumpy."

"I am _not_ a cat! And I'm _not_ grumpy!"

"O-oh, okay— then, are you hungry? I learned hunger can make a person turn grumpy." Jose reached into his pocket and presented a packet with the word 'cookie' on it. "Here, you can have this."

"Thanks, but I'll _pass…"_ Morgana grit out.

"You're makin' the kid worry about ya even _more._ Guess there's no way outta this one."

Morgana slumped to the ground in defeat. Jose happily jumped into his muted blue car and told them, "I'll be looking for flowers around here, so stop by and say hi if you see me. Oh, and I guess just gathering flowers would be kind of boring, huh? Since you humans seem to enjoy playing so much, I'll come up with some fun games for you.

"Ah, I also remembered something humans like to say to each other: good job!" Jose honked his horn, a clownish beeping coming from the car before the boy sped away.

When he was gone, Ryuji put his hands on his hips and glanced at them. "So, uh, who in the hell was that?"

"If he's studying humans, does that mean he isn't one? I mean, he just seemed like some nice kid."

"Well, he didn't feel like a Shadow…" Morgana admitted. "I wouldn't say he's dangerous… at least, for now…"

"Anyways, if we see any of those flowers he wants, I guess we can grab 'em for him," Ryuji remarked.

"I totally forgot!"

They turned their heads again to see Jose with something in his hand. "There's something I've been meaning to give to all of you."

"What would that be?" Akira gently prompted him.

"Well, the thing is… I picked up something strange while I was exploring earlier. Here it is…"

Jose pulled out a glowing blue star with specks of green, red, white… It was beautiful, but it seemed to be powerful.

"Huh? What the heck is that?" Ryuji watched it pulsate and shimmer in Jose's hand.

"It's a star. At least, that's what they look like, so that's what I call them."

"A star?" Morgana bemusedly crossed his arms, his tail becoming rigid.

"Um, so, what about it did you want to show us?"

"Humans make wishes on stars, right? That's so interesting. Stars granting wishes… So this star is going to grant your wishes," Jose told her.

"Our wishes?!" Morgana's paws itched to get that star in his hands.

"…Or, it would be nice to think that."

"'Nice to think that'… Seriously…" Morgana's excited expression died down and his tail went flat on the ground.

"I'll give this to you. It's so sparkly and beautiful, you want it too, don't you? It's a 'sign of our friendship.' I know what that is. Off I go now. _Good job!"_

"There he goes again…" Ryuji mumbled as the boy sped off into the tunnels and tracks. "A star, huh? He said it'd grant our wishes or somethin'…"

"I highly doubt something like that would actually happen, even in Mementos…" Morgana sighed. "Well, I guess you can at least try making a wish."

"Okay… I wish for all-you-can-eat parfaits! With zero calories!"

"An extra-large beef bowl! With pork soup on the side!"

 _"Why is it all food…?"_ Akira laughed. They all looked at the star in his red gloves, but it did nothing. Morgana frowned.

"…Nothing's happening."

"Was Skull's wish too petty?"

"Panther, you wished for basically the same thing…" Akira glanced at her. Ann giggled and scratched the back of her head.

"Hehe, I guess I did!"

Morgana broke his eyes off of the star. "Hm. I guess things don't just happen that easily. But we can't just throw the thing away… Hold onto it for now."

"Was already planning on that," Akira said while putting it into their pocket dimension. Morgana dusted his outfit off and they _finally_ started heading up the escalators out of there.

"Well, that was a bit unexpected… Let's head back now."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"Mementos, huh? I still don't really get that place. Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?" Ryuji yawned. He was sore from the Shadow fighting and spelunking, but man was it good work…

The sun was starting to set. They leaned and loitered out in Shibuya, right outside of a fleet of stairs that led down to the underground station. Just a second ago, that place seemed to be teeming with Shadows, but now there were only blissfully unaware people.

"I'm not entirely sure, but that wall must've been there for a reason. If Mementos is the public's Palace though… it might be affected by the general public's belief in us."

"Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?" Ann asked him. Morgana licked the fur on his chest and hummed.

"My memories are a little foggy in that regard… However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what."

"No matter what?"

"Mementos is not just everyone'a Palace, it's the source of _all_ Palaces," Morgana meowed to Ann. "It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida's with one ruler simply didn't exist. So, if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I'm certain my appearance will…"

"You wanted someone to save you too…"

"I-I just needed pawns," Morgana stuttered to Ann. Akira giggled. He just didn't want to admit it.

"I see… So that's why you came pokin' your nose around with us," Ryuji took himself off of the large green booth behind him and walked closer to Ann's side. She breathed out. "…I'll help you. I hope you can regain what you've lost."

"I'll… be relying on you guys," Morgana reluctantly whispered.

"By the way Morgana… are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?"

"Could it be that he's a car…?" Akira didn't even give Morgana time to speak before throwing his joker. Ann laughed. "That is a possibility!"

"I wish I could deny it, but… I just can't be sure," Ryuji grunted.

"Why not?! In any case, of course I'm male! I mean, I…"

"What is it?"

"No… It's nothing. We're done talking about that!" Morgana shooed the subject off. "Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice."

"There weren't any other outstanding ones though…" Ann grimaced.

"I bet we'll get a _ton_ of 'em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. The big fish are our main targets after all."

"First you need to find a way to get through your exams," Morgana started. Ann and Ryuji went pale at the mention of exams.

"I gotta study…" Ryuji sobbed.

"I'll help out with you guys later this week, then. You better get ready!" Akira pumped them up but there was zero enthusiasm from them.

Ann whimpered. "I'm gonna dieee…!"

They all walked down the stairs and Akira kept trying to get them excited at the potential of having better report cards, but they could only cry at the presumption that they could even _get_ higher grades. None of them noticed the stare of a boy with blue-tinted hair.

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

**~~~《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|7:41 PM|May 7th|**

**Ryuji:** man that nakanohara guy was a piece of cake!!

 **Ryuji:** if we can take down sum kinda big target next we're totally gonna get famous

 **Ann:** hey!! we're trying to HELP people, NOT get famous!! 😡💢

 **Ryuji:** but if ppl dont know who we are howre we gonna give em any courage??

 **Akira:** i mean, you're technically right…

 **Ryuji:** see?!? the more people know bout us the more we can help!!

 **Ann:** well i dont think ur necessarily wrong

 **Ann:** but should we rly be doing this at all if we dont have a reason like with kamoshida??

 **Ryuji:** u mean we shouldnt be stickin our noses into other ppls business??

 **Ryuji:** i dunno man… if someones in trouble its only natural to wanna help em out!

 **Ann:** yeah, i agree with that

 **Ann:** and i guess i was glad we were able to stalk to solve the stalker case

 **Akira:** the police don't really have any reason to solve crimes other than the fact that they're paid to do it

 **Akira:** or some of them just have a strong moral compass.

 **Akira:** so i don't think it's really wrong

 **Akira:** i just want to help people!

 **Ann:** you talk a lot more when youre typing…

 **Ann:** but i never thought of it that way… ur right

 **Ryuji:** plus what good are our personas if we dont use em for good??

 **Akira:** with great power comes great responsibility!

 **Ann:** and thats how you quote things correctly! take notes, ryuji 😌

 **Ryuji:** oh shuddup!!

 **Ryuji:** yall clown on me so hard…

 **Ryuji:** is it just me or do you guys still have a problem with that madarame guy??

 **Ann:** yeah it puts me off, but dont go too wild!!

 **Ann:** dont do anything that stands out like failing all of your exams

 **Akira:** aren't you on the same scale as ryuji though, ann?

 **Akira:** i dont mean it in a rude way!!

 **Ann:** ummm 😳

 **Ryuji:** we both havent studied at _all…_

 **Ryuji:** what about the star jose gave us?

 **Ryuji:** wonder if that could help us ace the exams…

 **Ann:** yeah somehow i doubt that…

 **Ryuji:** hell id settle for just not failing

 **Ann:** akiraa???

 **Akira:** i already promised to help!! dont worry

 **Ryuji:** wait whyre we trustin you?! i dont even know what ur grades are like

 **Akira:** you'll see them after the exams!

 **Ann:** im sort of terrified…

After Akira cleaned up the store a bit, he sat at his desk with two blank notebooks and clicked the back of his pencil. He opened up his notebooks and laid them across the workbench.

"Hm? Are you studying?" Morgana asked Akira. Akira shook his head and blushed.

"U-um… They're notebooks I'm going to be giving to Ann and Ryuji. They covered everything on what's going to be on the exam…"

"What?! All of that for them?!"

"D-don't tell them, okay?! They're just expecting a study session, I want to surprise them!" Akira begged Morgana. Morgana rested his head on Akira's bed and sighed.

"You really are _too_ nice… You're gonna get taken advantage of if you aren't careful."

"I-I'll be fine if you're there…!"

"I can't be there all the time to save you from making impulse decisions!"

"Erk…! Y-you're right… _Hahh…_ Well, we don't have to worry about it for now!"

It was when Akira started pulling out colored pens that Morgana forced him to go to bed and finish it tomorrow. Akira begrudgingly went to bed after Morgana told him to.

Akira got a text in the morning after he got dressed in a white shirt and black blazer. His shoes shifted in the boards of the attic as he pulled out the messages.

**《Mishima Yuuki》**

**|9:27 AM|May 8th|**

**Mishima:** Hey, I saw in the forum! Nice job sticking it to that stalker!

 **Mishima:** My Phantom Aficionado Website came in handy, didn't it?

 **Kurusu:** oh! ummm i'm not sure what you're talking about??

 **Mishima:** it's okay, you don't have to say it. I know deep down in my heart that it was useful.

 **Mishima:** Anyway, I'm in Shibuya right now.

 **Mishima:** I'd love it if you could come hear me out about your future actions?

 **Mishima:** I'll be waiting at the diner in Shibuya. You gotta swing by!

"What is he up to…?" Morgana hummed suspiciously. Akira brushed off his remark and slung his bag over his shoulder and they both headed out to the diner. Mishima was already sitting down in a long-sleeved shirt with green sleeves.

"How have things been? You know, with the… special activities? _Hahh…"_ Mishima yawned. "Oops, hah, sorry about that. I, uh, haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately."

"A-are you okay…? Exams are coming up soon, I wouldn't want you to be exhausted during them…"

"I've been staying up managing the Phan-Site all night, every night. I think it's called… PR?"

 _"P-please take care of your health for my sake…_ Also, um… Phan-Site…?"

"The Phantom Aficionado Website— Phan-Site for short. You need a catchy name if you want people to notice you. This is all a bit of P-Thieves propaganda!" Mishima stated. "Basically, there's no point to taking down bad guys if nobody's gonna know about it. That's why I've started a blog for posts from people you guys saved, while filtering out the haters.

"We need the Phantom Thieves to be seen in the proper light if we want to make the name popular, right?"

"Y-you're incredible… You've already done so much!"

"Really?! Just hearing you say that makes my all-nighters worth it! Though actually, I _really_ wanna know how you punish people… Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask. It wouldn't be any fun if you just up and told me. After all, the Phantom Thieves have a reputation of being secretive!"

"I guess that's the appeal, isn't it?" Akira giggled. Mishima jittered in his seat, unable to stop moving.

"I… I wish I could be more like you guys somehow. But I'll still be here to draw attention to the stuff you do! You can leave that part to me! I'm gonna use my Phan-Site to promote the Phantom Thieves, and weed out any negative comments," Mishima claimed. "Your popularity is gonna be at my mercy… or uh, my fingertips.

"It's like I'll be your strategic image management representative, so to speak."

"Strategic… _eh?"_

"Strategic image management representative," Mishima repeated. "Rolls off the tongue, don't you think? Anyway, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that title's more than just for show."

Akira smiled into his cup of coffee as Mishima let out a _huge_ yawn.

"I think you need this coffee more than me… but I'd rather you get a good night's rest instead."

"Yeah, managing the Phantom Thieves reputation is tiring work… The forum gets all sorts of weird posts, including tons of things unrelated to reforming society… It'd defeat the purpose of the site if the truth of the Phantom Thieves was _buried_ among all that garbage.

"Oh, but you don't need to worry. I'll sort through all the trash."

"Are you sure…? It may not look like it, but I'm pretty tough when it comes to negative comments!"

"No, no, no, I refuse that! I'll do it myself, it's the _least_ I can do. You just go out there and do what you do best!" Mishima cheered him on. Ah, it was kind of nice to have such a bice fanboy… it was also _worrying._ "Speaking of which, I've actually already found some worthwhile info about our very own school. Our quest to boost your popularity can start close to home! I'll give it my all!"

"Since you're so motivated, I'll pay for the food here. Let me do this, okay?" Akira said, pulling his wallet out from his bag. Morgana's big blue eyes stared up at him with raised eyebrows and Akira cleared his throat as he put the cash on the table. "Go to sleep as soon as you get home, okay?"

"Yeah. Man, I'm _exhausted…_ I think I'd fall asleep on the spot if I weren't talking to you. I'll see you later. Thanks for paying!"

"Mmhmm! Bye-bye!" Akira waved to him as he left.

Morgana's head popped out of his bag when he heard Mishima's footsteps go away. "Heyyy, aren't you being a bit too chummy and kind?"

"That's just how I am though… Oh! I need to finish the notebooks for Ann and Ryuji…"

"An angel…" Morgana shuddered. "Too much of one…"

Akira finished the notebooks at the diner. He smiled at his work with pride and joy. He hoped that these would help them in some shape or form. But now there was another task.

Ore no Beko…

 _"I-I think I'm dying…"_ Akira thought as he washed the dishes. A flurry of customers came in all at once and they shouted orders at him. Akira memorized all of them but he felt like a piece of himself had died…

"…You appeared to have a difficult time there," a man in a suit spoke to him across the counter. Akira gave him a customer service smile.

"No, I'm quite all right, sir."

"Are you sure? You were extremely busy… Can't you ask your manager to hire more people?" The man questioned. "Employees being overworked is becoming a real problem in the workplace. This is concerning, especially since you seem so young… Are you perhaps a middle schooler?"

"I'm a high school student, sir."

"Ah, I see. Hm, I should remember this. I'll leave my payment here. Thank you for the food," the man gave him a warm and gentle smile. It may or may not have made Akira's night feel a lot better.

"Thank you for coming, sir!"

The man stood up and left his seat. Akira kept rubbing down tables as Morgana spike to him. "Wasn't that the politician who gives speeches in front of the station?"

"It seems like it… I wouldn't want to intrude on him, though. He seems like a busy man."

"Not busy enough to worry about employees in the workplace, huh? Well, I think he knows who you are now. We should go to the station square again sometime soon."

Akira flicked the water off of his hands. "Yeah… I guess I should. I want to hear one of his speeches again."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira waited for the next train with a white disposable mask over his mouth.

"You have allergies…?" Morgana whispered from his bag. Akira sniffled and cleared his throat. "I hate pollen…"

"Well, that's another thing added to the list…"

Akira turned his head and saw Ann walking towards him with a gloomy expression. "Good morning… Ungh…"

"Do you have allergies, too?" Akira asked her, trying to smile beneath his mask.

"…Allergies? Oh, uh, maybe? I do feel kind of dazed and everything feels weird!" Ann said to him. "But… um… actually… I've been having this feeling that someone's watching me… Ugh, I hope not…

"Oh! Maybe I just can't shake off the feeling of infiltrating a Palace! At the Palace, we're always cautious of not being noticed, you know! So it has to be my imagination… Yeah…"

"…Do you want to hold my hand?" Akira asked Ann.

"H-HUH?!"

"N-not like that! I-if you feel nervous, I was just wondering if you wanted to hold my hand for comfort…"

"O-oh! Yeah, thanks." Ann took Akira's soft and small hands into hers. They were cold. Ann clenched down on it and smiled at the miserable looking Akira with a face mask pulled over his face. He looked really cute right now…

She didn't want to let go of his hand.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|8:48 AM|May 9th|**

**Ryuji:** hey dontcha think the atmosphere at schools kinda different now??

Akira looked up from Ryuji's text. Akira had pulled down his mask now that they were inside of the school, but he still didn't feel the best. Ann and Ryuji's notebooks shifted inside of his bag. They were going to be studying with each other today…

**Ann:** u mean with there being no kamoshida?

 **Ryuji:** yeah. nobody ever talked about him out in the open like this before

 **Akira:** i'm not a fan of it…

 **Ryuji:** yeah its reasonable that you wouldnt like it… lets try to avoid other people until it dies down

 **Ryuji:** but i wish someoned just thank us for it or smth...

 **Ann:** either way, everything has worked out for the best

 **Ann:** after all, kamoshidas actually being punished for his crimes

 **Ann:** thats victory enough for me

 **Akira:** it's good enough for me too!

 **Ryuji:** wonder whats gonna happen to him now

 **Ryuji:** i mean hes a famous criminal at this point right??

 **Ryuji:** hes gonna have to deal with people hatin him forever…

 **Ann:** that might be true but i dont have any sympathy for him

 **Ann:** he got what he deserved

 **Ryuji:** fr

Classes ended and Mishima sent him the information on a school bully. His name is Takanashi Daisuke. He wouldn't be able to deal with it _now_ since the four of them were going to the diner to study.

"You ready, Aki?" Ann asked him while she picked up her bag. Ryuji walked into the classroom with his entire body sagged down.

"Dude, my brain ain't workin' at all…"

"Well, it's going to _have_ to work if you want higher marks."

"Won't I stand out more if I get better grades than usual? Some rumor is gonna fly 'round that I cheated or some shit…"

"You'll be fine… I think."

"You're suddenly taking after Morgana?!" Ann was exasperated at the words that came out of Akira's mouth. He giggled and waved his hand.

"I'm just joking! Let's go, let's go!" Akira ushered them away. Ryuji was glad that Akira wasn't as shy anymore, but it felt like a slap to his face when he realized that Akira wouldn't be a stuttering mess anymore… Well— he'd still be _stuttering_ but it wouldn't be classified as a mess.

"I'm _exhausted…"_ Ryuji groaned and dropped his pencil down onto the table. Notebooks were strewn about with a few plates half-eaten, cups of coffee, and a glass of orange soda.

"Akira, these notebooks are _amazing._ I can understand everything in this…" Ann skimmed through the sheets. Different colored pens with the neatest handwriting she's seen in her life were on every page.

"Really?! I'm so glad!"

"It's like everything but _easier…_ It's still tirin' though…" Ryuji leaned back in the cushioned seats and sighed. "My brain hurts but… I think I might make it over the bottom score this time!"

"Same here! Jeez, you don't know how much this means, Akira—!" Ann hugged Akira closed and smooshed his cheeks together. "Ah, you're perfect! My little doll!"

Akira's face went completely red and he quickly covered it with his sleeves. "D-d-don't m-mention it…!"

_"Be my teacher forever."_

"T-that's sadly a no, Ryuji… B-but I can be your tutor for the year!" Akira peeked through his sleeves and Ryuji sighed. "You're gonna get exploited someday…"

"Definitely going to get exploited…"

"Aki is _absolutely_ going to be exploited…"

 _"I-I know when to stand up for myself!_ I can handle myself just fine!" Akira pouted.

"Say that when you aren't hyperventilating when confronted by Nijima-senpai," Ann told him. Akira cringed.

"That was one time…"

"When Nakaoka and Takeshi talked shit?" Ryuji pointed out.

"I-I tried!"

"When Mishima went to talk to you yesterday?" Morgana added.

 _"Okay, I get it!_ I get exploited easily… I-I wasn't like that before! I-I was distrusting of everyone! It's just that you guys are too friendly!"

"Did we make a positive impact or a negative impact on Aki? I can't tell…" Ann murmured.

"Uhhh, a positive-negative impact…?" Ryuji trailed off.

Morgana shook his head. "No, you _idiot!_ Wouldn't you just call that a neutral impact? They cancel each other out!"

 _"Please, stop…_ W-we're supposed to be studying…" Akira pleaded with them. "A-anyway— Do you guys remember any content from the Heian period?"

"Uhh, somethin' about a Minamoto no Yoshitsune guy? Dude got in a fight with his brother and lost, yeah?"

"Nice job! Do you know why Yoshitsune is more favored instead of his brother Yoritomo?" Akira asked all of them. Ann hesitantly raised her hand.

"Because he's an underdog…?"

"You guys are doing well so far! Well, that's only a small part of the exam. It's not a lot if you think about it, it's just a long process," Akira said. "Take the notebooks with you and _study_ outside of these sessions, please?"

"Finnneeee…" Ryuji grumbled. "I just realized right now but… I can see the numbers floatin' above these drinks…"

"You too?! Well, Morgana did say that we'd be able to see the benefits that everything in the real world would have in the Metaverse…" Ann looked into her cup of coffee and saw the HP that it would regenerate.

"That's right, you can see them now! Is it annoying for you guys?" Morgana scratched the back of his ear.

"I mean, it hasn't bothered me… Only when I wanna see it does it come up," Ryuji stated. "But man, my brain is dead… I need to re-energize with somethin' else. Hey, 'Kira, wanna go work out after this? I found a cool new spot!"

"I'd say 'let me join too!' But I'll work out when I'm dead…"

"But we technically workout when we go to the Metaverse…?" Akira told Ann.

"Well, sort of. It doesn't build muscle mass. We just become naturally stronger in there," Ann said. "Enjoy yourselves! I'll study up on what I have at home.

"Sweet! Hey, c'mon Akira! Let's go, let's go!"

They paid for the bill and Ryuji pulled him out of the diner. Morgana decided that he would hang around elsewhere and not drown in their sweat.

Ryuji and Akira walked into a secluded alley in Shibuya and looked at the building in front of them. There was a rectangle box-like light outside of the door that proudly bolstered the name 'Protein Lovers.' There was an extremely muscular man flexing on the sign.

"Here we are… Protein Lovers gym!" Ryuji made jazz hands towards the building's entrance. "It's pay per visit, so you don't gotta worry about any bullshit contracts or nothing. The equipment's kinda crappy, but they got _tons_ of variety. Plus, it's real damn cheap. Totally worth it, even without a pool or hot tub."

"H-hey, are you sure I fit into this category? I'm not exactly muscular…"

"People come here to get gains, 'Kira. You don't need them to go to a gym. Speakin' of which, you bring your stuff?"

"Um, like a towel?"

"Nah, they'll lend you one of them. I'm talkin' about spare undies!"

"Eh?!"

"Gettin' back into your sweaty clothes after a nice hot shower is like, the grossest goddamn thing. Oh, but don't go gettin' your hopes up. No way I'm gonna let you use mine."

"Y-you've lent me your underwear before though…"

"That was _one time!_ For a very specific reason! A-anyway, let's head in." Ryuji walked in through the door first, leaving Akira staring into his bag. He'd just suffer…

Ryuji spent a lot of time on the treadmill, but his legs were suffering the price from every single step he took on it. He jumped off of it and panted. Akira passed him a bottle of water and he graciously took it into his hands.

 _"Gah… hahhh…_ Phew… My form's… comin' back… but I don't got… any stamina…" Ryuji coughed and he quickly uncapped the water and chugged it down. "Thanks for this…"

"Sakamoto?"

Akira was about to respond to Ryuji, but a taller boy walked over to the two of them. Ryuji raised his head and met the boy's eyes. "Ikeda-senpai! What's bonkin'?"

"'Bonkin''? You say the strangest things. Is that how you greet a friend?"

"I've been tryin' to come up with some cool new slang. Maybe it'll catch on! I've already tried it with my buddy here!"

"You can't just do that. Oh, and you don't need to call me senpai anymore. I've already graduated, remember?" Ikeda-senpai pointed out to Ryuji. He then turned over to Akira. "I haven't seen you before… Were you on the track team?"

"He's a friend! By the time he showed up, the track team was already… well, y'know." Ryuji shrugged.

"Speaking of which, how's your leg?"

"Eh, I'm managin'… How 'bout you, Senpai? You still runnin'?"

"I actually joined my university's track team. You'd think I would've quit entirely after what happened…" Ikeda-senpai chuckled awkwardly.

"About that, I'm real sorry…"

"No," Ikeda-senpai shook his head. "I should be the one apologizing."

Ryuji was confused. Apologize to him…? But he was the Track Traitor…

"I was supposed to be the leader of our team, yet I just resigned myself to Kamoshida's will…" Ikeda-senpai explained.

"That's 'cause you needed him to write your letter or rec, right? You were just lookin' out for your future… but I still managed to eff it up anyways."

"Kamoshida clearly never intended on writing my letter of recommendation. You were just his excuse not to. And honestly, I enjoy where I am now. The track team isn't anything special, but it's perfect for me," Ikeda-senpai asserted himself. "So in truth, I should be thanking you for what you did, Sakamoto."

"Senpai…"

"I've always regretted not doing more to protect you guys… But I heard some good news recently… The Shujin track team's being reinstated!"

"For real?!"

Ryuji's mouth was gaping open and his eyes were wide. Even Akira was shocked that Shujin Academy decided to bring back the track team, considering their _questionable nature…_

"I mean, Kamoshida confessed all the horrible stuff he did, right? I guess the school got the old team together and told them they want to try starting it up again."

"…Nobody told me about that," Ryuji bit his lip, knowing why nobody told him. _Track Traitor…_

"Huh, odd… The rumors got as far as me, and I'm not even a student anymore. Anyway, I heard they're going to get Yamauchi-sensei as their new advisor."

"Yamauchi…? Hold up. _That_ Yamauchi?!" Ryuji spluttered

"Yup, the one who was basically Kamoshida's lapdog," Ikeda-senpai informed. "Apparently he volunteered. He's really enthusiastic about pulling the track team up from the ashes."

 _"Am I the only one that's thinking that it's suspicious…? Anything to do with Kamoshida is… wrong."_ Akira thought to himself. Luckily he wasn't, because Ryuji looked perturbed at the thought of this Yamauchi person taking charge.

"He is?"

"You know, now that the team is being reinstated, there's no need for any bad blood, right?" Ikeda-senpai encouraged Ryuji. "Why don't you go talk to them? I'm sure they could use someone with your passion."

"…Yeah."

Ikeda-senpai left soon after that. Ryuji uttered to Akira in a slight shock. "So the track team's comin' back… Good for them."

"You seem kind of conflicted…"

Ryuji chromed. "Nah, not really… For real though, I'm glad the team's comin' back. It's sweet that Nakaoka and them can start trainin' again. But I'm still worried 'bout their advisor, Yamauchi. He's basically like a mini-Kamoshida."

"I was listening to Ikeda-senpai say that he was Kamoshida's lapdog and I already didn't like the idea of him taking charge… I'm glad it wasn't just me feeling that. He seems like—"

"An asshole? Basically. He'd always yell at us during practice, but then be a huge kiss-ass when our parents were around." Ryuji stomped the ground and bellowed. "Ugh, I can't believe a moron like that's gonna be advisin' the track team. He doesn't even teach PE! He's gotta be up to something.'

"Yeah, it seems too suspicious…"

"I'll do some research… There's a chance I'm gonna need your help too, mkay?" Ryuji wrapped a shoulder around Akira. "You'd be free to lend me a hand if I need it, yeah? I'll be countin' on you!"

"I-I'll help you, but take your arm off of me… You're still sweaty from running…"

"We'll be showerin' though, so it won't matter."

"I guess you're right… Let's go take a shower then?"

"Yeah, I smell like shit…"

Both of them started pulling off their clothes in the shower area. Ryuji stretched and pulled his shirt off of his head. His hair was drenched in sweat. Akira tried to not stare at his abs, but Ryuji caught his eye anyway.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm gettin' my abs back… Does it look weird?" He asked. Akira shook his head and slipped off his tracksuit and folded it in his locker.

"N-no, I think it'd be weirder if you didn't…"

"Nah, I think it'd be weirder if _you_ had abs," Ryuji walked over and poked Akira's stomach. "If your flat stomach had abs, I think I'd be too shocked to think…"

Akira pulled his shirt off and put a hand on his stomach. "At least I'm not squishy… I'm not going to get abs anytime soon, either. I can't get them. I've tried…"

"What workouts did you do?" Ryuji was inspecting him from head to toe. Akira's cheeks were _burning_ and he felt like everything was too exposed to Ryuji. It felt a little…

Akira sniffled and turned his face away from Ryuji, refusing to look at him. Ryuji's prying eyes were staring at every inch of his skin. It was clear and perfect, smooth, and soft. How was it like that…? Akira stuttered as Ryuji put a hand onto his stomach. Something in his stomach grew hot.

"U-uh, I-I did a lot of s-situps… I-I'm mostly flexible…"

"You have a gymnast's body. You have lean muscle, but it doesn't show. I can tell from lookin' at your back, but damn— your skin is pale…"

"I-It's _not_ pale!"

"You can say that all you want but it doesn't change the facts, _vampire."_

"V-vampire?!"

"Bahaha! I'm just kiddin' with ya! I'm gonna hop in the showers."

Akira flipped his body around and showed his back to Ryuji. He heard him inching off his pants and shutting the locker. Ryuji opened the door into the shower area and turned around to see Akira's pale skin blushing pink everywhere. Cute… "Dude, you don't have to be so nervous. I've basically seen you naked before."

_"That's not the problem!"_

"What? Me naked? We've seen each other in our _underwear."_

"U-u-underwear covers the private parts, I'm not ready to see things in their full glory…!" Akira blushed. Ryuji sighed.

"I get it, you still don't like things like that after Kamoshida… All right, I'll just stand on the other side of the wall. I'll enter first and I'll leave first. Sound fair?" Ryuji smiled. Akira could _hear_ him throwing a thumbs up towards his direction, even though he wasn't looking at it. Akira scrunched his toes on the cold floor.

"Y-yeah… Thank you."

Ryuji entered the showers. Akira sat down on the bench and shoved his pants off and folded them onto the side. He could only see Ryuji's figure inside of the shower room. Steam covered the lower area and prevented him from seeing anything _else._

Akira started to pull off his underwear and slammed his head against his knees. Akira looked back over to the showers, his cheeks turning red. He swallowed his saliva.

_"I'm so dead…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that cliffhanger murdered you because things are gonna get spicy soon 😳


	16. Chapter 14: A Weird Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this feeling in his chest? Fear? Anxiety? Whatever it is, it doesn't matter now because they just got a modeling offer from a peculiar artist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS UPDATE IT LATTTEEE. Sorry, a lot of things came up recently and I got caught up with them :^) Here's your chapter!!

Akira and Ryuji were separated by a wall. Akira took in a deep breath of the steam and let it all out. The hot water did well on his allergies.

"Ah shit. 'Kira, could you pass your shampoo bottle over? My side don't got one," Ryuji said.

"A-ah, yeah. Here you go—" Akira stood on his toes and passed the bottle over the barrier. Ryuji's wet fingers grazed against Akira's as he passed it over. He didn't know why his chest was beating so fast.

"Hey, Akira…"

"Y-yeah…?"

"…I always wanted to ask you, but I have no idea if this is insensitive or not. I'm stupid so I don't know how to read people but… are me and Ann your first friends?" Ryuji's voice echoed throughout the shower. Akira kneaded his black hair with shampoo. His hair was quite long when it was wet, the ends flicking against his shoulders.

"…You guys are. T-that's why I don't know how to act around you guys sometimes. I-It's… hard. I don't know what it means to be a friend to someone…" Akira sighed. The water from the shower rained against the floor. It sounded calming and reassuring. "I want to do a lot for you guys, but it never seems like it's enough…"

"You're  _ way _ too hard on yourself… You've already done so much for me. I have no idea how to repay you…"

"I-it's more like the other way around… You say you're stupid, but you're really smart…" Akira mumbled. "You just don't know that you are…"

"You're gonna get exploited."

_ "That again?!" _ Akira groaned. He heard Ryuji's cute laughter echo through the room and Akira couldn't help his laugh from slipping through his mouth.

They went through the procedure like Ryuji had told him that he'd do. He went out first and after he was done he shouted into the shower room. Akira got dressed quickly, his hair still wet on his shoulders.

"I didn't know your hair was that long…"

"My hair is wavy, so it seems a lot shorter than it is…" Akira picked up one of the strands of his hair and pinched it in between his fingers.

Ryuji passed him a towel and Akira took it. Ryuji was recklessly rubbing his towel on his dyed hair. Akira blushed at his toned arms and large hands. He looked away from Ryuji and coughed. He stared at the ground to contain himself. His heart beat faster whenever he looked at Ryuji and he didn't know why. Did he have heart problems…?

"Hm? You okay?"

"Y-yeah, it's just the allergies…!" Akira sniffled and rubbed the water out of his hair with the towel that Ryuji gave him. He put on his face mask and dropped the damp towel into a basket. "I-I'm going to be a bother when we go out… My allergies are killing me, I can barely raise my head."

"If you're gonna be lookin' down the entire time, you're gonna need someone to guide you. C'mon, grab on." Ryuji wiggled his fingers and signaled that Akira should latch onto him.

Akira hesitated on taking his hand. He slowly reached out for it but he quickly shrank away when he touched one of his fingers. Ryuji noticed this as clear as day and extended his hand to grasp onto Akira's. His large and rough hands encased Akira's small and soft ones.

"I'm not gonna  _ crush _ your hand, you know?"

"A-aren't you worried that p-people are going to s-stare…?" Akira stuttered. He heard him scoff as if what Akira said was a joke.

"If people are gonna judge us, they can go 'eff themselves. There's nothin' wrong with people holdin' hands if they want to." Ryuji clenched harder onto his hand, a protective and sturdy force. Akira's face felt hot from his touch. Every single tender grip and slight movement on his hand made him feel secure. He had a fuzzy feeling in his chest…

He looked up a little bit, staring at the back of Ryuji's head. He could see that the roots of his hair were turning to his original hair color.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to the station."

Akira's heart was pounding. It was similar to fear and terror. That incessant pounding in his chest whenever he came home from school and his parents were in the house; the pounding he had whenever he performed on his stage… it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't at the same time. He couldn't explain it, but he hated the feeling of it.

The feeling of Ryuji's hand made me feel like he could forget about everything that troubled him. He always felt like he could be his true self around him. That rose-colored vision that he saw when he met Ryuji's eyes. He's never felt it before…

What could it be?

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

Akira laid in his bed when he got home. He slammed his head into his pillow and yelled into it.

"What are you doing, Akira?!" Morgana yowled.

"Screaming into my pillow!" Akira's voice was muffled and drowned out by the plush around his face. Morgana sighed and jumped up onto the bed. "Something weird just happened and I don't know what I should do…"

"Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe? K-kinda? I don't know… I'm just confused…" Akira kept his face buried in his pillow. They stayed with each other in comfortable silence before Akira spoke up again. "Do you ever get a weird burning sensation in your chest? It kind of hurts… but it isn't a bad hurt. It feels nice, but I also hate it. It makes me feel uncomfortable..."

"D-do you have heart problems…?" Morgana mumbled worriedly.

"No, no,  _ no! _ I just— I don't know how to describe it… it's difficult."

"A burning in your chest that feels painful, but also feels good… Isn't that just adrenaline? Or maybe it's just anxiety…" Morgana hummed in thought. "There are a lot of possibilities, but I think those are the main ones."

"That makes sense… Yeah, that makes total sense!" It made sense to Akira. The reason why he felt like that when he was with Ryuji is that he was always anxious. Ryuji and Ann were his first friends, so he always felt like he needed to do better.

"Everyone feels anxious at some point. I think you're getting hit the hardest because of what's going on. It'll calm down after a while."

"Everyone, huh…?" Akira breathed out.

"Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life. It's a part of being human." Morgana pressed his nose against Akira's cheek. Akira lifted his face and swung his feet off the side of his bed.

"I-I'll just have to overcome my anxiety! So..." Akira pulled out his phone and checked the time. "How about we go see that politician I saw at work?"

Out in the streets of Shibuya, the orator stood on a small box and wildly gestured to the people. A green sash was slung around his body as he continued speaking.

"…There have been far too many incidents recently to ignore! Can anyone deny this?! The runaway-train incident, mysterious psychotic breakdowns, a school with a corrupt teacher… We have yet to discover the truth of it all!" The man was fluid with his words. He didn't stutter and he spoke with conviction, knowing exactly what he was talking about and why he was talking about it. "The apathy that permeates society is a direct result of negligence by our government and the media."

"…You're listening quite attentively. Are you interested in politics?" The man said to Akira. Akira jumped at the man's sudden recognition.

"O-oh, um… not particularly. But I would like to learn more…!" Akira stuttered.

"You're a student, yes? I'm delighted to captivate the interest of someone your age. Hm? Have I seen you before…?"

"I was working at the beef bowl shop."

"Oh! You were! You have a lot of perseverance for a young person. Well, if you're interested, I could use your help. I want to change the state of this country, and to do so, I need the power of the youth." He smiled so pleasantly it felt like it would be a crime to refuse… "…However, due to certain regulations, I can't offer a job to a student. I was thinking you could learn some things if you chose to attend a few of my speeches though…"

"I'd be glad to."

"Really?! That would be helpful indeed! Well then… would you mind telling me your name and contact information?"

"A-ah, right! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Kurusu Akira. I'm a second-year at Shujin Academy." Akira hand

"It's nice to meet you, Kurusu-kun. I am Yoshida Toranosuke. I used to be a member of the Diet… but no longer. In the past twenty years, I've lost seven straight elections…" Yoshida-san sighed. "This isn't good. I'm dwelling on the negative right before my speech. Well then, I hope I can count on your help immediately."

"Of course, sir!"

Akira stood to the side and held a sign in his hand. He listened to Yoshida-san speak to the people that stopped to listen. It was good for him to laser-focus on what the older man was saying. The man had a lot of things to say and Akira was willing to listen to all of it.

"The lines of what is considered right and wrong in society today have been blurred. With common sense no longer our guide, we make decisions based on our selfish wants and desires. This has resulted in a deluge of self-centered people who delight in taking advantage of the weak."

Akira swallowed his saliva. He knew too many people that fit into that description… a terrifying amount, even.

"However, even in this modern day and age, it is imperative that we act in the best interests of all," Yoshida-san looked into the people's eyes, and his speech became fiery and passionate. "A world where it is acceptable to trample on the rights of others for your own benefit… A world where the young exist only to be exploited… is a world that must be changed!"

"Hmph, easy for him to say… Old-timers like me have our hands full taking care of ourselves," an elderly woman scoffed.

"He's actually making some good points, but he's a no-name… He probably won't get too far." A younger man voiced his melancholy. "Nothing's going to change. We'll just keep getting exploited."

"…What's this wannabe politician blathering about now? He isn't even affiliated with a party." A grim-faced man stepped closer to Yoshida-san's podium and spat in his face. "How about you just leave matters of state in the capable hands of the Liberal Co-Prosperity Party!"

"You mustn't base your decision on whom to support merely according to the party they belong to…"

"Ah, just shut up already! You're just a washed-up politician!"

Yoshida-san was losing steam at the man's remarks. "If I am chosen to represent the will of the people, then I am fully prepared to…"

"'In the best interests of all'?! _Hah!_ Save the blathering for when you get elected! _...If_ you get elected!"

Yoshida-san ended the speech shortly after the man's outburst. Akira grimaced as Yoshida-san put his wooden box off to the side. "Thank you. That is all for today. Well, what did you think of my speech?"

"'The best interests of all'?"

"Indeed. Do you feel the same? Such as I am, I'd like to believe that I'm capable of giving a moving speech." Yoshida-san's smile turned sour, the corners of his lips turning down. "…However, there are times, like today, when the audience has a difference of opinion on a topic. Some feel I should concentrate on getting elected before I worry about others… Do you agree?"

"I support you and your beliefs. I think you did an amazing job!" Akira complimented him. He meant it, too. It struck an irreversible cord in him. Being exploited…

"Thank you. It's encouraging to know that my message has won you over. Besides, I have grown quite accustomed to those types of reactions… I'm mostly worried about you hearing indecent things at your age. I feel like I'd ruin your kindness if I subjected you to that."

"Y-you don't have to worry about me… I'll be just fine! I'm mostly concerned that you've gotten used to the heckles…"

"Indeed. I don't know if that is necessarily a good thing. Regardless, no matter what they say, I must continue on… Perhaps I'll ask for your impressions again sometime."

"I look forward to running by you again." Akira bowed before he put his bag over his shoulder. He felt Morgana fumble inside of it. "Thank you for your time."

He felt a pair of eyes of him trailing on him as he left.

The next day was hard for him. He was waiting for the train with an exhausted body. Training with Ryuji made him feel good that he worked out, but his body always felt like it had been hit by a truck in the morning. He adjusted the metal band inside of the facemask onto his nose and sighed.

"It looks like you're attending school seriously." Akira turned his head and saw Nijima-senpai walking to him. Akira swallowed his saliva. She already felt intimidating… "You also seem pretty close with Takamaki-san if you're both coming to school together."

Akira's mouth felt dry. He couldn't speak.

"You just transferred here though… I guess you two really  _ click." _

"We're in the same class. I-it isn't too weird to be talking to each other…"

"…I see. You seemed a lot closer than that yesterday morning. You were even holding  _ hands… _ I heard she was a victim of Kamoshida-sensei, but was that all there was to it…? Either way, closer inspection should clear everything up… Goodbye."

She was gone as soon as she came. Akira fiddled with the pencil in his hand and stared at the back of Ann's head. He forgot about Nijima-senpai…! Maybe he shouldn't have held Ann's hand that day, but it looked like she needed it. Akira put his face in his hand and was distressed beyond belief. Exams with Nijima-senpai spying in them didn't give his mind any rest. This wasn't going to be the best week.

He could barely pay attention to class. When he was asked a question, he gave a one-word answer and logged out of life. Morgana stared up at Akira's disorganized expression and frowned, but he couldn't say anything.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|7:41 PM|May 7th|**

**Ryuji:** looks like theyre rly gonna bring back the track team… the coach is gonna be yamauchi 2

**Ryuji:** that guy is basically kamoshida junior i swear he's scheming something

**Ryuji:** well i guess i can look into that myself

**Ryuji:** anyway, whatre ur thoughts on trainin today??

Ryuji had texted him seconds after the bell had gone off. Anxiety crawled up Akira as soon as he texted him. The beating in his chest, the sweaty palms as he texted back… It was a pleasant yet extremely unpleasant feeling. He didn't like it very much.

**Akira:** yeah let's go train!

**Akira:** where are we going to go though?

**Ryuji:** wait a sec dont you have allergies??

**Ryuji:** you SURE you wanna be trainin outside??

**Akira:** i'll be fine! i'll just wear my mask while we train. i won't be running, so it won't be that bad!

**Ryuji:** if you say so… we'll figure it out a place to go to that doesn't have a lot of pollen

**Ryuji:** go change!! i'll race ya to see who gets ready first

**Akira:** a challenge, is it? be there in a bit!

Akira and Ryuji had a heated battle on how fast they could change into their clothing. Ryuji ended up winning it since he didn't have as much clothing on him (or maybe it's because of his physique). Akira sighed in defeat as they dragged their feet around the school to look for an adequate place to train.

"Man, we really don't got a good place to train, huh… I mean, we'd prolly run into Nakaoka and them if we stuck around here." Ryuji and Akira feet walked in unsynchronized steps. Ryuji took much larger strides than Akira. "You got any ideas?"

"…My place?"

"You seriously think we'd get any trainin' done there? I bet we'd just end up eatin' ice cream and playin' video games all day long. That's just kinda what happens, y'know?" Ryuji groaned. Akira giggled at his expression.

"Maybe that's a good thing?'

"Maybe… I guess it won't hurt to peek 'round the gym. If they ain't there, maybe we can—"

"…Hrgh!" Akira and Ryuji stopped in their tracks and looked out to the courtyard.

"…Nakaoka?"

Ryuji and Akira ran over to see four boys, three of them seemed to be surrounding the Nakaoka in the center of it all. Ryuji turned his head to the brown-haired student at the front of it all. "Takeishi? The hell you guys doin'?"

"We just have a few questions for Nakaoka here. It's none of your business," Takeishi spat.

"So what, you gonna ask him questions with your fists? And anyways, ain't a three-on-one kinda cowardly?"

"The only coward here is Nakaoka! All the shit Kamoshida put us through is his fault… He was telling that bastard secrets about us the whole time!" Takeishi glared back at Nakaoka with hatred in his eyes. It was like a disease and it spread through the other track members.

"Huh? That's a load of bull!" Ryuji yelled.

"Why don't you trust Nakaoka's word? He doesn't seem like he'd do that," Akira looked over to Nakaoka. He was almost expressionless. He couldn't tell what he was feeling as Ryuji rushed to defend him.

"That's right! You've been trainin' together for freakin' forever! Plus, ain't the track team comin' back? You don't gotta fight!"

"…Sh-shut up! I'm telling you, this piece of shit sold us out! How do you think Kamoshida found out about your parents, Sakamoto?"

Akira knew that it would come up, so he wasn't as shocked as Ryuji when Takeishi laid down the truth. How  _ did _ Kamoshida know? It could be his status as a teacher to have access to student files, but even a teacher shouldn't be able to have that much power. So it had to be…

"He's gotta be a snitch!" A brown-haired track team member surrounded Nakaoka.

"H-hold up!" Ryuji walked in front of Nakaoka. Takeishi growled and lashed out at Ryuji.

"Out of the way, Sakamoto. We'll beat the shit outta you too if we need to."

"If you think that's gonna make you feel better, go for it," Ryuji said with conviction, refusing to move a single inch. His body was as complacent as a statue. "…But you're gonna wish you didn't. Trust me, it feels real bad lookin' back on shitty stuff you've done."

_ "Ryuji…?" _ Akira thought. He didn't say anything, he was just a spectator right now. This was Ryuji's fight.

"Look… Even if Nakaoka  _ was _ workin' with Kamoshida… ain't it fine now? The bastard's gone, so you guys can just put this crap behind you. There's no reason to fight, yeah?"

Ryuji was logically right in every sense. Kamoshida wasn't there anymore, the track team was coming back; so why should they be fighting? But Akira knew it wasn't simple. Human desires and emotions steer you away from logic.

"We can't keep people around who're gonna try and undermine our team," Takeishi stated to Ryuji.

"But…" Nakaoka's voice quivered in anger, "I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't working with Kamoshida. No matter how much you hit me, my answer's gonna stay the same."

"Oh yeah? We've got proof. Yamauchi told us all about it."

_ "There's the finishing line." _ Akira thought. As soon as the name 'Yamauchi' came up, he couldn't believe anything. Yamauchi was already suspicious. Even if he didn't know the man, it was over in a snap for him. The teacher had probably lied.

"…Yamauchi?" Ryuji was shocked at the answer. Akira could see the emotions on his face flip and change. He always wore his heart on his sleeve, there was no hiding what the boy felt.

"C'mon Takeishi, we gotta get out of here. It'd be real bad if anyone else showed up." The track member to the left of Nakaoka said. Takeishi hissed in anger.

"…Nakaoka. Shit like you isn't welcome on our new track team. You'd better remember that."

The three of them left a pissed mess. Akira saw the flames of anger emitting from them as they got further away. Ryuji moved his body to look at a slightly battered Nakaoka. "…You okay? What the hell was all that?"

"Just stay out of this, Sakamoto. It has nothing to do with you." Nakaoka avoided Ryuji's prying gaze. To him, his face was unbearable right now.

"But…"

"When you hit Kamoshida, you were really hitting all of us who tried so hard to endure his  _ bullshit. _ You might've felt relieved, but it only made life harder for us…" Nakaoka continued, "'Cause of you, we lost the one place we could vent our frustrations… the one place we could really belong. Tensions got pretty high after that… and things've just been kinda rough from then on.

"…You really think it's all fine now, huh? Well what if I told you they're right about me? Would you still think it's 'fine' if I was the one who told Kamoshida about your parents?"

"……" Ryuji crossed his arms. "Yeah. If you told him, you told him. I'm over all that stuff with my parents anyways. Besides… I've realized something, Nakaoka."

"What?"

"I might’ve messed up with Kamoshida back then, but hangin' on to the past ain't gonna help anythin'. I'm just gonna focus on bein' myself now… on bein' free."

"What're you talking about? Free, huh? Haha…" Nakaoka shoved past Ryuji. It was just them now. The tense atmosphere lingered in the air. It was heavy and dense, with a thick smog after an explosion.

"Akira… You get what I'm tryin' to say, yeah?"

"I know what you were saying," Akira told him. Ryuji sighed and walked close to Akira and ran a hand over his hair in mild frustration.

"Right? He's the one who wasn't makin' any sense. I guess bein' free is like…" Ryuji grinned and wrapped an arm around Akira "It's like how I feel when I'm talkin' to you, man."

_ Anxiety. _ This was anxiety, right? The butterflies in his stomach, the beating of his heart… Ryuji bent down to meet his face, his breath hot and heavy in his cheeks. Akira felt like he was burning, even with the facemask on.

"C-c-can you explain that? I-I don't get it—"

"Uhhh, I don't know how else to explain. I just feel… free."

"I-I still don't understand."

"I just feel free!"

_ "I-I still don't understand!" _

Ryuji burst out laughing. "What, we stuck in repeat or something?  _ Hahaha!" _

Akira couldn't keep himself from chortling. Ryuji had a superpower to make him laugh or something. It was always effective.

"Mannn, that was some funny shit," Ryuji rasped out and slumped himself onto Akira. "…So much for trainin' though, huh? C'mon, let's get outta here. Oooh, we should grab ramen on the way home!"

"I'll pay for it!"

"I mean… if you're  _ volunteering…" _

"W-w-wait, I didn't mean it  _ seriously—" _

They split the bill and stuffed their faces with noodles. Ryuji moaned at the taste and texture. "Ah, ramen is always the  _ best…" _

"I-I'm worried about your health… You eat ramen so much I'd think that you were made out of it…" Akira twirled his chopsticks full of noodles and held it up to his mouth. "You must have a really fast metabolism…"

"Not as fast as you. You're skinny and you don't even work out that much. But I ain't worrying about it, best to live free right? And I feel free with you!"

"I still don't understand what that means…"

"I can't explain it, either. Guess I just feel comfortable 'round you? Sorta like that. I feel like with you, I can do anything." Ryuji smiled. "You're really special, 'Kira."

"T-that's a lie… stop lying." Akira pouted. "I'm nothing special. I'm just like everybody else."

"Say that  _ allll _ you want, but it doesn't change the fact that I think you're amazing. Something about you just makes my day feel brighter."

_ "I feel the same way," _ Akira thought,  _ "but I'm too scared to say it out loud." _

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"…Teach you how to give speeches? Why?"

_ "It's because I want to understand and ask my friends things without being embarrassed:" _ Akira thought,  _ "what am I thinking?!" _

"I want to do what you do." Is how Akira put it. Yoshida-san hummed and closed his eyes.

"I'd love to help you, though… how shall I teach you? Ah, it's time for my speech." Yoshida-san handed him the sign he held up last night. "Let's begin."

Yoshida-san stood in the Station Square like he always did, preaching to an empty crowd. Even though it seemed that nobody was listening, he professed his true feelings for the government and Japan's current society. "And while our society appears to be prosperous, many of our young people are  _ quietly suffering. _ They lack jobs, security, savings… The next generation will head us into the future and yet they have no plan for how to arrive there."

"…Watch where you're going, you little shit!"

_ "You _ bumped into  _ me, _ you old goat!"

Two men were fighting. One was a middle-aged man and one seemed to be a young adult. They scuffled on the streets and growled at each other like dogs marking their territory.

"This isn't good…" Yoshida-san said.

"S-should we help them…?"

Yoshida-san nodded. "Yes, let's."

He held out his hand and spoke directly to the two men. "Good citizens, please stop fighting!"

The men turned to him at his strong voice and Yoshida-san continued. "What is the point of bickering over such a trivial matter?"

"This is none of your business!" The middle-aged man raged. The younger man he was just fighting with agreed with him.

"Yeah, seriously. Just shut up!"

"Tch, what's with this guy…" The older man grumbled. The two of them walked off. The problem was solved but it wasn't how Akira thought it would be…

"…Now if you'll please excuse me, O mist return to my speech." Yoshida-san shook off the encounter and preached to the passersby once again. "Together, we can create a bright future for the next generation."

"Ugh, so righteous… That really annoys me." A man appeared from the corner of Akira's eye. He turned around as the man began to loudly heckle Yoshida-san. "Enough of your arrogance, 'No-Good Tora'!"

"Wha—?!"

Yoshida-san was taken off-guard. Akira flinched from Yoshida-san's reaction. He could see he was being fed to the wolves… controlling your emotions out in the public was difficult, especially when something like this happens.

"As if anyone would actually vote for  _ you! _ Are you planning to embezzle funds again? Or maybe criticize one of your constituents again? You criminal!"

That was a bullet straight towards Yoshida-san's head. Akira had seen it time and time again. The fall of someone famous once someone made an incriminating accusation, and their descent into madness to protect themself. Akira swore to never do it, confident in his play pretend life. He was never deterred by the wrongdoings of other people; it was just himself that he needed to worry about. Yet, for some odd reason, his heart felt a squeezing tension. He had never felt this before.

"No…! T-that was… all in the past…"

Yoshida-san ended the session quickly. Akira grimaced as he leaned his sign up against the wall. Yoshida-san took a deep breath and pushed the soapbox he was standing on to the side. "I've gone and done it again."

"W-what happened could be considered a campaign obstruction…"

"Yes, but I cannot say that to the crowd before an election… Regardless, whenever someone calls me 'No-Good Tora,' I panic." Yoshida-san groaned at his actions. "I went through quite an ordeal twenty years ago…"

"H-huh…"

"…Let me explain. I used to be a member of the National Diet. I was elected during the rise of the 'Kuramoto Children.' We were backed by powerful Diet members. This was about twenty years ago," Yoshida-san explained. "I was very inexperienced back then, both as a politician, as well as a human being. That inexperience led me to be involved in a series of  _ major _ political scandals. People refer to my blunders as 'No-Good Tora''s Three Strikes.'"

_ "Three strikes…?" _

"You're most likely thinking of why I got that name."

_ "He read my mind…" _ Akira thought as he nodded slowly and unsure. Yoshida sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"The first was being caught missing a legislative meeting to take a personal vacation. Then, I was accused of embezzling a large sum of money from the party… giving me two strikes." Yoshida-san looked like he was struggling to say these things out loud. He was embarrassed by his mistakes, but he forced them out for Akira. "Finally, I called a voter an  _ idiot _ at an open forum, which resulted in scandal… and strike three."

"I was out… and branded a washed-up politician. You said you wanted to become a member of the Diet. But do you see the man before you?"

He has a questionable past… but he didn't have the right to judge. He wasn't any better than this man— No, he was probably  _ worse _ than him. That's why when he saw the conviction to change the world, the strength he didn't have and never would have inside of this man that festered and bubbled… he wanted to see him to victory.

"…Y-your past shouldn't matter if you're making an effort to be a better person… I see that in you, Yoshida-san. You have conviction." Akira said to Yoshida-san and he didn't believe his own words that came out from him. He believed in Yoshida-san, but he didn't believe in himself. The past shouldn't matter if you want to change… Then what is he? Trash?

_ "No, no, no, no! Destroy that mindest right now! Hurry, hurry, hurry—!" _ Akira shook the thoughts right out of his head.  _ No, _ he  _ has _ changed, and he'll continue to change himself for the better. No more negative thoughts!

"I'm glad to hear that from you, however… Everyone says I have no chance to get elected, so why come to me?"

"H-have confidence in yourself, Yoshida-san!"

Yoshida-san chuckled at Akira's rosy red cheeks and his attempts to cheer him up. "You're doing a good job of cheering me up… But you may be right. The most important part about giving a good speech is believing in yourself. Perhaps one day, I will believe in myself… again. But you sure got me there. You're a strange young boy, Kurusu-kun."

Yoshida-san smiled and nodded his head and stared down at the young boy. "Very well. If learning how to give a great speech is what you seek, then I'd be happy to instruct you. In exchange, I would like for you to continue assisting me.

"W-w-would that really be all right?! I'd be happy to help, sir! Please take care of," Akira exclaimed happily, bowing his head down to the older man in respect. He'd be able to be a better person if he could express his feelings better because he was  _ horrible _ at it. Akira wanted to be more open with his friends when the time came.

"Let's pursue your dream of becoming a member of the Diet… Oh my, we've been talking for far too long. Let's call it quits for today."

Akira didn't remember ever saying he wanted to be a Diet member, but it looks like Yoshida-san just assumed. Oh well, he looked happy.

"Mhmm! Thank you for taking me on!"

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Sun Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card flipped around above Yoshida-san's head before disappearing into blue particles, taking it up into the wind before fading away. The dulled colors of his vision turned back as everyone started moving again. The Sun…

"Ah, before you go, would you like to hear my speech schedule?" Yoshida-san asked him.

Akira quickly took his phone out of his pocket and opened up his calendar app. "A-ah! Let me write it down, please give me a moment…"

"It isn't too complicated! In any case, I'm glad that you're determined to help me. I'll be here giving my speeches every Sunday. You're welcome to drop by and help whenever you've got the time. That's all I wanted to say. Now, be careful on your way home."

"I-I'll try to come and help you when I have the time. Please excuse me!"

Akira felt eyes on him again. Akira flipped his head around and surveyed the area. Was he going insane again…? He felt something staring at him. Akira looked left and right, but he saw nothing. Chills went up his spine.

_ "It must be my imagination… Just the exam jitters!" _

Akira went to school the next day. It was exam week and Akira was stressed. He wasn't stressed about his grades. He was stressed about Ryuji and Ann's. Akira shifted the mask on his face and continuously prayed in his mind.  _ "Please let Ann and Ryuji get good grades. Please let Ann and Ryuji get good grades—" _

"I can't believe this… A school assembly? During exam week? The hell are they thinking?" A student grumbled. Akira looked at the blue bulletin board that was in front of the school's entrance. A small crowd of students surrounded the blue board.

"It's the day after tomorrow, right? I wonder if it's gonna be about Kamoshida-sensei again." Goosebumps crawled up Akira's arm at the mention of the teacher's name. He quickly left to go to his classroom and rubbed his arms to get rid of the feeling. What could the mandatory assembly be for…?

Akira wasn't shocked to see that he was the first person to be done with his exam. Morgana could barely speak or help Akira because he already knew what he was doing. Akira looked at Ann's blonde hair and watched her tap her pencil or her exam sheet before scribbling in an answer.

_ "Do your best, Ann…!" _

The next days were mostly the same. Akira wrote in his exams neatly yet quickly, breezing through all of the given questions. He felt kind of weird being the first person to finish. At Kyunin Savant, everyone was fast. He was actually one of the last people to turn in his test from how much he double-checked and triple-checked it.

He stood right next to Ann during the assembly on Friday. Kobayakawa-kouchou stood in front of the mic and spoke to them about the climate of the school, "Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore. We believe the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we've acquired the services of a therapist."

Akira looked to Ann with a shocked face. Huh?  _ Huh? _ They're actually caring for their students…? Ann gave him an equally shocked look. When Akira looked further, he saw Ryuji's wide eyes.

"The floor is yours, Doctor…"

A man with glasses, mousy brown hair, a white coat, and stubble walked onto the stage.

"Isn't he hot?" He heard around him. The girls were going crazy for the hot new teacher that made an appearance. Akira was going to be honest with himself— the therapist was pretty good looking, but…

Akira looked over to Ann and Ryuji and felt his cheeks burn. Ah, there was that anxiety again.  _ "Mhmm, they definitely look a lot better…" _

The doctor cleared his throat and introduced himself to the students with a pleasant smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Whoa, his voice is sexy!" A girl exclaimed happily. Ann almost snorted at the girl's comment. Some of these people were bold with their preferences.

"My name is— Huh?" The microphone cut off as soon as he was about to introduce himself. The male teacher frowned and leaned down to fix the microphone, tapping his palm on it to see if it was working before continuing where he left off. "My name is Maruki Takuto. Thank you for welcoming me to your school."

Maruki-sensei went to bow and he slammed his forehead onto the mic. Laughter erupted from the students and the principal looked at him with worry. Maruki-sensei quickly regained himself and stood back up to the microphone with a red circle on his forehead.

"No need to be formal with me, though. I'm just here to counsel anyone who's interested." Maruki-sensei observed the crowd. "You can even call me Doc, if that would help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be— Oh… I guess I'm not really any good for helping with money problems…"

He was quickly pushed to the side by Kobayakawa-kouchou as the whole area lit up with laughter. Ann, Ryuji, and Akira were unimpressed by the whole charade. Akira tugged on Ann's sleeve. She looked down at Akira and smiled. "It's a surprise, isn't it?"

"I feel like they're planning something…"

When the assembly ended and they started to walk back to their classes, Ryuji ran up to them and clasped a hand onto Akira's shoulder. "Yo. You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?"

"Well, our school's made national news. Maybe they figured they'd look even worse if they didn't do anything for us," Ann said.

"And, uh, Whatshisname-sensei." Ryuji snapped his fingers and tried to remember his name.

"Maruki Takuto," Akira informed.

"Yeah— wasn't that guy just basically clownin' it up onstage?" Ryuji scoffed. "You really think he'll do us any good?"

"Ryuji…" Ann whispered out as Maruki-sensei walked up to the three of them with a soft smile.

"Hey there," he greeted them. "Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san, right? And that must make you… Kurusu-kun."Akira inched behind Ann's back and grabbed onto her jacket. Ryuji glared at the man.

"How'd you know our names?!"

"No need to be afraid of me! I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah…  _ previous _ interactions with Kamoshida-sensei. Kurusu-kun, it must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."

Ann put a hand on Akira's arm as he clutched onto her like a child. Akira knew that Maruki-sensei was aware of his situation and the doctor looked at him with knowing eyes. Akira stuttered out a response, "I-I was fine…" 

"You're quite the tough youngster— just don't overdo it, okay?"

"So…" Ryuji took his hands out of his pockets and stared down Maruki-sensei, looking at him from his shoes to his head. "Whaddya want with us?"

"Ah yes, I'd forgotten… I know I already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you three be interested in counseling?"

"Nope, not at all," Ryuji responded quickly.

"Huh?!"

"How's that surprising?" Ryuji scoffed at Maruki-sensei's reaction.

"You were just a touch more emphatic about it than I'd expected…Ah! But, if you come to my office, you can have free snacks! All you can eat…  _ would _ be nice, but there's still plenty to be had. So, how about it?"

"D-did you say… snacks? What kind…?" Akira peaked out from Ann's protection and she hurriedly shoved him back behind her and hid his face.

"Hey, don't fall for that, Akira! We can just buy snacks outside of the counseling!" Ann argued with him.

"To be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling for the students directly involved with Kamoshida-sensei. It's in the school's interest… for its students."

"Ahh, the  _ school's _ interest, huh?" Ryuji crossed his arms and almost laughed at the thought. He knew what the school was like, he knew that they were just trying to save their reputation that was hanging by a thread.

"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience… Ooh, I know!" Maruki-sensei lifted his head and his eyes sparkled. Akira swallowed his saliva in anxiety. "If you attend my counseling sessions, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental activity. Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates. How's that sound?"

"Uh…" Ann thought about it hard and she didn't know how much this entailed, but Akira was intrigued with the concept of mental training. Would that do them any good in the Metaverse…?

"There's also snacks…" Maruki-sensei was looking straight at Akira.

"All right, all right, enough with the snacks!" Ryuji shook his head and looked at Akira. Akira pressed his face against Ann's back as he thought about food. His stomach growled. He's never really had an appetite before, so why is it happening at the  _ worst _ time… "so, which way are you leanin'?"

Akira poked his face out of Ann and she stared at Akira's black locks. Akira cleared his throat and whispered, "Um, a little chit chat wouldn't be so bad, right…?"

"You were seduced by the snacks…" Ann sighed. Akira's face grew red, knowing he was  _ definitely _ seduced by the snacks.

Ryuji mumbled. "I guess it'd just be more trouble for us if we didn't go."

"Hmmm, yeah." Ann agreed.

Maruki-sensei smiled at the three of them, pleased by their response. He thought they were going to deny it until the end of time. "Really? Then, I guess it's a deal. I'll be in the nurse's office— feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you."

"Welp," Ryuji said while he patted Ann's shoulder and they turned their backs to Maruki-sensei, "we should get goin'."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

The two of them started walking away and Akira turned to Maruki-sensei awkwardly. Maruki-sensei still had that sickeningly sweet smile on his face. "Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise I'll do my best to help you."

"U-um…" Akira looked back to the two blonds that were walking away and whispered to Maruki-sensei. "You're aware of my situation, right…?"

"I'm aware of it. Don't worry, we're under strict orders to keep it safe. I'll be sure to do my best at counseling you when it comes to your circumstances."

"Hey, Akira!" Ann called. "Hurry up!"

"R-right! Please excuse me, Maruki-sensei!" Akira bowed and just before he turned back to his friends, a card floated above Maruki-sensei's head.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Councillor Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

Akira stared at it, surprised but it's appearance. Akira stood still for a second and his eyes glanced at the area that the card was before it disappeared. He shook himself out of his trance and left the doctor to himself.

Kawakami-sensei told them that Maruki-sensei would only be here until November, so they'd only have six months to speak with him. She also mentioned how it was mandatory for some students and that they'd talk to them afterward. Akira already knew who those people were.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|2:12 PM|May 13th|**

**Ryuji:** yo r u guys gonna go for it??

**Ann:** what, the counseling???

**Ann:** it sounds like we're gonna have to go regardless

**Akira:** yeah, we can't really fight against it. it's required for us

**Ryuji:** i told maruki i'd do it but uhhhh

**Ryuji:** i dunno if im into the idea ya know??

**Akira:** we should at least try it once. i'm sure we don't even have to talk about much if we want to. we can just hang out there

**Ann:** its also better to not draw attention to ourselves

**Ann:** i think im gonna try to go for a session today

**Akira:** good luck!! hope you have a nice time

**Ann:** i'll try my best!! 💟💕🌸

**Ryuji:** i'll see what i can do if i do go…

Akira was headed towards the nurse's office after Ann's positive response from her experience. She seemed a lot more calmer and at peace with herself.

And then he saw her.

"Ah, hello. Are you here for a session as well?"

Akira froze up at the red-ribboned girl's appearance. It was Kasumi-chan talking to Maruki-sensei, but he wouldn't say her name.

"A-ah, I am. I-I can wait if you're going in first, though!" Akira offered her.

Kasumi-chan shook her head and held up her hands in protest. "Ah, no no! I was just about to leave. Maruki-sensei is a wonderful counselor. I've actually been seeing him for a while, before he ever came to Shujin."

"Oh? I didn't know you two were acquainted," Maruki-sensei said. Akira and Kasumi-chan laughed awkwardly at his words. They both knew that they knew, but they said nothing. Maruki-sensei continued what he said and ignored their laughter. "Don't go overselling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san— I'm really nothing special."

"Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me." Kasumi-chan bowed and passed by Akira and gave him a knowing glance.

_ "I'm glad Kasumi-chan is as kind as ever…" _ Akira smiled as she walked off. They needed to find time to talk somehow, but he didn't know when.

Maruki-sensei cleared his throat. "What say we get started?"

They walked into the nurse's office. He had been here once or twice, but the couches to the left of him were a recent addition. Maruki-sensei gestured to the entire room and smiled. "Welcome! Thank you for coming."

"I'm a little bit nervous… But we made a deal, so I guess I'll be just fine."

"Ahaha, well… I'll try to make sure it's worth the trouble. You can talk about the things you're comfortable with, you don't have to tell me everything. Here, have a seat. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Umm, t-that's hard to say… A-are we sure nobody is listening to this…?" Akira asked warily. Maruki-sensei chuckled.

"I'm positive nobody is listening except me. Speak your heart out."

"O-oh, okay! Well, um…" Akira started, "it's been hard these days. I went from an idol to a student with a criminal record in a week… not only that, but my record was leaked."

"If you don't mind asking me, who leaked your record?"

"… Kamoshida. Kamoshida leaked my record to the school." Akira told him. "It's just been hard trying to fit in the school."

"It must've been  _ extremely _ difficult for you. You went from Kyunin Savant Academy and life in the public eye to being here in the quiet. It must've been a big change for you. Are there any specific difficult things?"

"…H-hiding my identity. It's imperative to keep what I do a secret." Akira sighed. "I wish I could tell my friends, but I can't. If a word of it got out, I'd be ruined."

"How so?"

"W-well…" Akira didn't know how to say it properly. "It's my… image. My public image. I'm advertised as a Korean flower grown in Japanese gardens. I'm also advertised as the pinnacle of innocence. I-if it got out that I have a criminal record…"

"Your image would be broken?" Maruki-sensei finished

"Y-yes…" Akira murmured. "It would result in a huge scandal. I'd be dropped from my company and I'd be socially ostracized for a long time… I'd have to stop coming to school and go out in secret, but I'm sure the place I live would be swarming with paparazzi…"

"Is that the main source of your stress?"

"I-I suppose so… But, it's also the least of my concerns. For the first time I've come here, I've finally had friends to rely on. It also feels nice to not have to worry about my public image all the time. It's sort of… freeing. So in a way, I'm a bit glad it turned out like this." Akira nodded. "Actually— I'm extremely happy. This has been the best months of my life so far. Even if things were to go south, I'm sure my friends would be there for me. So in all, I think I'd be fine in the end, even if I wouldn't get to be an idol anymore."

"I'm glad that you feel that way. You're confronting a tough and painful reality by turning it into a positive. To me, that's incredibly admirable. Some adults can't even do that. Though, that might be a little weird to hear from a guy you just met. It might be even worse for you since you're a famous idol."

"N-not at all! I feel completely fine hearing these things…"

"Is that so? Well, let's see…" Maruki-sensei looked over to the clock. Akira didn't think that much time had passed, but it did. Even Akira was shocked at the number on the clock. Maruki-sensei apologized, "Sorry, this went on longer than I expected. The conversation just took on a life of its own, I guess…"

Maruki-sensei went silent and a serious expression went onto his face. "…Hey, I've actually got one last request. Do you mind?"

"Huh?"

"I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counselor. It's not quite like counseling— more like a type of psychological treatment…" Maruki-sensei explained. "Basically, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts. What they think, how they feel. If I get far enough with it, I think it'll be able to help a lot of people! So…?"

"W-what exactly would I be helping with…?" Akira chuckled and brushed his hair back.

"Oh, sorry!" Maruki-sensei apologized again. "Uh, I guess my point is… I'd like to ask you to help with that research…? All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas of realizations on your end. Please! Any time's good for me— I can work around your schedule. And, uh… I've got a lot of snacks, too! You can have them! They're yours!"

"B-but why me…?"

"Well… to be honest, sometimes I hit a wall in my research," Maruki-sensei admitted. "I've been working on it alone, but… some second opinions from a perspective like yours could really push it forward. It's not an everyday occurrence where I can ask the opinion and thoughts of an idol. Oh, and don't worry, I promise I'll repay you for it.

"Let's see… I know! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training? I happen to know a lot on the subject. I'm sure I can cook up a special regimen for you so that you'll be able to perform better on stage. If you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could draw out your full potential!"

Akira stuttered. "I-I think that sounds nice…! I always get nervous before I go up on stage, s-so it'd be great for you to give me something to help…!"

"Okay! I guess that's our second deal… Oh, right! Would it be okay if we traded contact information?" Maruki-sensei pulled his phone out from his pocket and looked at Akira. "I'll contact you when I've got time, or when I need some input from you."

"O-oh! Yeah, here you go." They traded numbers and chat IDs and put their phones back into their pockets. Akira had two numbers on his phone: one that he uses for work and one for his personal phone. He gave Maruki-sensei his personal number.

"…That should do it! Now! I'd better do my part to repay you. Let's talk about mental training and presence. Let's see, first off…"

Maruki-sensei made his mind feel a lot stronger. He taught him some pretty valuable things when it came to concentration and how to calm his nerves before a performance, but it also works when he battles in the Metaverse.

He left to go home with a stick of gum in his mouth with the rest of his pack inside of his pocket. His bag was resting outside of the nurse's office and Morgana slumbered inside of it peacefully.

The next day was the last day of exams. Akira prayed that Ryuji and Ann got good results and that their studying paid off, but they wouldn't get the results and placements until after.

Ryuji and Akira stood outside of the station. Ryuji let out a big yawn and scratched the top of his head, slumping tiredly. He looked like he was about to pass out.  _ "Ahh… _ I'm so sleepy… I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams."

"You? Staying up studying? I'm glad Akira rubbed off on you."

"Well, a third of the all-nighter was spent in playin' games. Before I knew it,  _ pfft _ it was morning. But man, my brain is filled with information… I don't think I've ever studied this hard."

"Do you think you can keep it in your brain when we get to school?"

"Damn, I hope so…"

Ann walked up to them and yawned, rubbing her eyes and rolling her neck around. She looked _exhausted._ _"Gahh…_ Morning…"

"Good morning." Akira greeted her. Ryuji snickered.

"Yo, look who else it yawnin'."

"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line." Ann yawned out. She stifled another one mid-sentence and her eyes teared up from the action.

"Impressive, Lady Ann. You're a lot more diligent than Ryuji over here."

"Hey, I still studied!" Ryuji argued. "You don't even  _ have _ school, what the hell're you tryin' to say to me?!"

"Ugh, will you please shut up?! You're gonna make me forget everything I memo—" Ann stopped before she could finish what she was going to say. Both Akira and Ann felt eyes on them. Ann turned around and frowned. "Am I imagining things?"

Akira didn't say anything. But if they were both feeling something… No, no. It's just a weird feeling. It's just a coincidence.

"What, you see a groper or something?"

Ann shook her head at Ryuji and turned back to the two of them, cautiously looking back. "No, that's not it. It's… nothing."

"…?" Morgana looked around the area and huffed. They all boarded the train and walked out of the cramped space. All three of them looked behind them cautiously, even though Ann had written it off as her mind playing tricks on her.

When they were riding up the escalator, Ann looked behind her again and gasped. "Oh my god, that guy got off!"

"Huh?" Akira looked behind and tried scanning for the man she was talking about. Chills went up his spine and his face turned pale. "U-ummm, I don't think this feels very good. I-I think he's been following me too…!" Akira started to sweat bullets.

Ann shivered and held onto Akira's hand. "Isn't this bad…?"

Ryuji looked behind and tried to scan the area below, but he had zero ideas on what they were talking about. All that he knew was that two of his friends were being stalked. He moved past Akira and Ann and started heading up the steps of the escalator. "C'mon, follow me."

"Huh?" Ann pulled Akira up the steps of the escalator.

Both of them waited at the subway's exit and held each other's hands. Ann kept looking back nervously and they squeezed each other tighter. Akira and Ann could hear footsteps getting closer and closer to them and he wanted to shut his eyes close, but he knew they were safe.

They both looked around as Ryuji stood in front of the two of them with a tense expression. Akira blinked blankly at the boy in front of him. He was tall, a ring of keys hung from the right hip. He had an elegant aura to him, almost listless and free. His hair was quite sleek and he had a pretty face.

Ryuji stared at him, expecting someone a lot more terrifying and gross but… "Uhh, hmmm… Um… Hey, uh… are you sure it's him?"

"I'm positive that—!"

"Is there something you want?" The boy asked, an airy and pleasing voice came out from him. Akira stayed behind Ann as she pointed at him boldly.

"That's  _ my _ line!  _ You _ were the one stalking  _ me!" _

The boy looked at her finger and put his eyes back onto her. He pushed his bangs aside and sighed. "Stalking you…? That's outrageous."

"I know you've been following me! Ever since the train! Even Akira knew that you were stalking us!"

"That's because…"

Before Yusuke could explain himself, a car honked its horn and drove up next to them. The window at the back of the black car rolled down, revealing an old man in traditional Japanese clothing.

"My goodness… I had wondered why you left the car. So  _ this _ is where your passion led. All is well that ends well." The man laughed inside of his car.

The boy finally defended himself on why we had been following them. "I saw you two from the car… and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from my Sensei… But thank goodness, I caught up to you."

_ "Okay…" _ Ann hummed suspiciously. Ryuji was in a state of confusion. Akira was on the same line as Ryuji. What had just happened…?

"What…?" Ryuji was exasperated.

The boy had passion burning in his eyes. "You two are what I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you—"

"W-wait a minute, I—"

The boy swished his arm out and didn't waste time asking his question. He didn't even listen to Ann's plea to stop him. "—Be my model for my next art piece?!"

"M-m-model…?" Akira stuttered. Model?  _ Model?! _

"All that I've drawn till now has been  _ lacking, _ but I feel a passion from the two of you unlike anyone else," the boy said, dead-set on having these two as his models. Akira started sweating. He had modeled for magazines, but he had never been asked randomly on the street before…! Who was this person…?

"This man's  _ highly _ suspicious!" Morgana yeowled.

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji told Ann. The boy slapped away the remark, focusing on one thing and one thing  _ only. _

"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" The boy asked the both of them. Akira stammered uselessly, flustered and embarrassed. His face was completely red at the offer. This hadn't ever happened before, and this wasn't a normal occurrence for people.

"Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?" Ryuji stepped in between the boy and stomped his feet down on the pavement, snarling at him.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine arts division. My name is Kitagawa Yusuke."

_ "Kosei High?!" _ Akira trailed his shirt and saw the symbol on his shirt. He smacked his face and groaned.  _ "Why didn't I notice…? Kosei High is a close relative to Kyunin Savant…!" _

Kitagawa-san shoved Ryuji to the side and approached the two of them. Akira yelped and hid behind Ann's back as Kitagawa-san kept speaking to them. "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

_ "Huh?! _ Do you mean  _ that  _ Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?" Ann yelped. Akira's mouth gaped at the name.  _ The _ Madarame? Madarame Ichiryusai?

"The very same."

Akira was going to die. This was  _ insane. _

"You know who that is?" Ryuji asked, completely clueless.

"He was introduced as a  _ super-famous _ Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world!" Ann raved to Ryuji before flinching. "But we heard that name when we went into Mementos…"

And she was right. That was the same name they had heard in the Metaverse. Akira grimaced at the mention of it and looked to the man in the car.

Madarame-sama called from the car, "Yusuke!"

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!" Kitagawa-san said to the man.

"That old guy's Madarame?" Ryuji muttered out while he looked into the window. The man had a soft expression on his face. Kitagawa-san walked up closer to the two of them.

"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by." Kitagawa-san offered them. "It'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to being a model then… I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too."

Kitagawa-san passed her two tickets and shoved one ticket to Akira. Ann swiftly took hers into her hand and put it into her bag, contrasting Akira's shaky one.

"Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow!" Kitagawa-san left as soon as he gave the tickets and opened the door of the car and hopped right inside.

"That guy's as easy to read as a book… You're not plannin' on goin', are ya?" Ryuji scoffed as the car drove away. Akira could only look blankly at the driver's plate and erased all of the words that came from Ryuji's mouth.

"I don't know about Akira, but… I think I will.'

"Huh?!" Both of them exclaimed at her answer.

She brought out her phone from her bag and gasped. "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later."

"How  _ dare _ he go after Lady Ann… I've memorized that face of yours,  _ Yusuke!" _

Akira watched her run away as fast as possible and he could barely think. Ryuji looked at him, asking him the same question with his eyes only. This was a weird offer.

_ What just happened…? _


	17. Chapter 15: Modeling Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A weird teenager approaches Ann and Akira about a modeling offer that goes a bit haywire after trying to pry information out of him. Ryuji wants to help, but how much can he really do…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you guys haven't noticed, i usually get rid of all the western honorifics (miss, mister, doctor, principal) and I replace them with their Japanese equivalents because I'm a filthy fucking weeb. migghhhttt go back to fix some of these in earlier chpaters (like i fucked up takemi's honorific. it's supposed to be sensei cause she's a doctor, woops) but like I'm kinda lazy
> 
> ANYWAYS ENJOY YOUR CHAPTER

It was hard to concentrate on his exams after what had happened to them, but he managed to scrap all of those thoughts and only focused on the situation at hand.

"Mmmmmmm, it's over!" Ann cheered and stretched her arms out. The mental pain and stress of exams were finally over… They were inside the station and Ryuji looked like he was about to cry.

"It's over…" He moaned out and. He looked over to Akira. "How 'bout you?"

"I aced it."

"He aced it," Morgana added. Ryuji cringed and crossed his arms.

"You're so smart it hurts me… You've betrayed us by not being an idiot…"

"H-hey, don't call yourself an idiot! How did you guys think you did on your exams…?" Akira asked them. Ann beamed proudly.

"Thanks to your help, I knew a lot of the answers! I think I pulled off  _ at least _ a C in everything!" Ann told him. Akira clapped his hands.

"That's amazing! What about you, Ryuji?"

"I hope I did well… I ended up knowing a lot of the answers, but I'm still not confident…" Ryuji frowned. He quickly pulled up his phone. "Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like it or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with…"

"What're you looking at?" Ann questioned Ryuji.

"The usual site." Ryuji pointed his screen towards them. "…It's no use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are gettin' less and less too…"

Morgana pushed himself from Akira's canvas bag and his voice was determined. "I am  _ not _ letting this end as a one-hit-wonder, okay?"

"There's no point in getting antsy though." Ann pointed out. "I know! Why don't we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money leftover from the buffet!"

"I want sushi, then! Or domestic-raised eel."

"We don't have  _ that _ much left." Ann snapped at Ryuji playfully. "Oh right. There are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit! Wait, that's tomorrow."

Morgana had been stabbed several times in the heart from  _ any _ mention that Ann made of what happened that day. "Don't tell me… Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?"

"It's not like  _ that." _

"O-of course not." Morgana was relieved but he played it off like nothing had happened. Ryuji stared at him and raised his eyebrows with a 'that's bullshit' look on his face.

"When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we've got free tickets," Ann said. "Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos."

Ryuji nodded and thought back to what happened with Nakanohara. "…Madarame, was it?"

"That was the name that was given. I'm sort of curious…" Akira told the three of them. Morgana hummed at the name.

"That aside, what should I do about the other ticket? Wanna go appreciate some fine art for once with me and Akira?"

"Fine arts, huh…" Ryuji crossed his arms and huffed through his nose. Akira wasn't even sure if he wanted to go, but Ann was going to go and he wanted to be there with her…

"I suggest we should all go together!" Morgana proclaimed. "Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is  _ lame." _

"Well, if  _ everyone's _ going…"

Ann clasped her hands together at Ryuji's response. "It's settled then!"

"It should be fun! We should enjoy it if we have the chance, right?"

Ann giggled and pet Akira's head. "Just the phrase 'going to an art exhibit' sounds kinda mature! Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow."

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|7:57 PM|May 14th|**

**Ann:** so i keep thinking about what nakanohara said…

**Ann:** could he have been talking about the famous artist madarame?

**Ann:** or is it just a coincidence…?

Akira stared at his phone and laid in his bed at night after making a pot of coffee. He yawned and texted a response. Morgana was resting peacefully on his chest.

**Akira:** it most likely is about madarame-sama

**Ryuji:** seconded

**Ann:** great. the name really stood out to me so im glad it isnt just me…

**Ryuji:** yeah i mean you guys ever heard of someone called madarame??

**Ann:** its really not common AT ALL

**Ann:** if what we heard is true, kitagawa-kun is studying under a corrupt teacher

**Ryuji:** you mean a teacher who treats people like tools

**Akira:** that's a harsher way to put it, but it isn't wrong.

**Ann:** kitagawa-kuns life is probably pretty terrible…

**Ryuji:** we gotta look into this

It was raining the next day. Luckily the pollen wasn't swarming anywhere because of it, but it was  _ pouring _ outside. The four of them arrived at the entrance of the art exhibit.

"So crowded…" Morgana mumbled. There were a  _ lot _ of people, more than what Akira expected.

"It'll be a pain in the ass if someone sees you, so don't stick your head out too much, all right?" Morgana grumbled at Ryuji and silently sunk his head deeper into the bag.

Kitagawa-san waddled up to them with a bright smile on his face. "You came!"

"Um… yeah," Ann said.

"You really came."

"What'd you expect when you left us those tickets?!" Ryuji barked at Kitagawa-san.

"Make sure you don't get in the way of the other visitors," Kitagawa-san ushered them. "Come now, I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too."

Akira quietly made steps to Ryuji's side. Ann swiveled to meet Akira's eyes. "You aren't coming with me…?"

"I-I'd rather not model… That's your thing, Ann!" Akira laughed nervously and hooked himself on Ryuji's arm. Kitagawa-san frowned.

"I  _ insist _ that you at least listen to my offer. will you not?!" Kitagawa-san begged Akira and fought him tooth and nail, but Akira shook his head.

"'Kira said he doesn't want to go. You'll just have to do without 'em." Ryuji spat at Kitagawa-san. Kitagawa-san frowned.

"I-I see… Well, let's be on our way. If you ever change your mind, please tell me." Kitagawa-san spirited Ann away from the area. Akira knew that Ryuji wanted to go home desperately, but they needed information on Madarame before they left.

"It's that old man from the other day." Ryuji nudged Akira in the shoulder for him to pay attention. There was Madarame. A large camera was faced onto him as two interviewers surrounded him with disgusting fake smiles on their faces. The lady held her mic to her mouth before leaning it over to Madarame-sama. "We continue to be truly inspired by your imagination. You have such expansive styles, it's hard to believe that it all stems from one person… Where in the world does all your inspiration come from?"

"Well… It is rather difficult to put into words… They naturally well up from within my heart like bubbles rising on after another in the spring."

"Naturally, you say?" The interviewer asked.

"What's important is to distance oneself from worldly desires such as money and fame. My atelier is a modest shack, but it is more than enough to pursue true beauty."

"…A shack?" Ryuji was taken aback by Madarame-sama's words. Kitagawa-san was living in a  _ shack? _

"I see… So the act of emptying one's mind gives rise to inner beauty." The interviewer nodded at the sentiment. "Still, to think we could hear the word 'shack' coming from the great artist Madarame."

"You would understand if you saw it. Hahahaha…"

Ryuji shoved his hands in his pocket and kept staring at Madarame, his gaze unmoving. "Wasn't the word 'shack' something…"

"Madarame-san is actually here?!"

"Over there!"

"I'm so glad I came on opening day!"

A huge swarm of people crowded around them and started to push them around. Ryuji growled. "Hey, stop pushin'! There's way too many people!"

"I'm getting  _ crushed!" _ Morgana choked out. Akira yelped and felt himself lose his footing. Ryuji reached his hand out through the crack between a few people, latched onto his wrist, and dragged Akira to his side. They were still being smothered, but at least they were all together.

Akira fixed his crooked glasses and panted. He was almost swallowed up by the crowd there. "T-thanks… I almost fell…"

"Thank me later! We gotta head for the exit! Don't die on us, all right?!"

They made it outside and leaned on the accessway rails. Ryuji sat on the floor and groaned, rubbing the side of his stomach. His orange phone slumped in his hand as Ryuji winced. "Agh, that old lady  _ totally _ elbowed me… But thanks to that, I remember now."

"Hm? What do you mean by 'remember'?"

"Well, lemme get to it." Ryuji scrolled through his phone and kept his eyes on it. "It's about a post online. Here, look at this."

Akira leaned down to look at Ryuji's phone. He was about to start reading it, but Ann's angry voice filled the vacant area. "Why'd you leave without me?!"

"You got it all wrong; we got dragged into the huge crowd and— …Eh, anyways. You gotta look at this too. This post might be about Madarame" Ryuji pointed his screen towards her.

"What's it say?"

Ryuji pointed it back to himself and started to read it out loud. "'A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV.'"

"Plagiarizing?!" Ann sat down on the floor and scooted closer to Ryuji.

Ryuji sighed and explained to them, "I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing 'shack' and 'Madarame' triggered it."

Ann recited the rest of what the post said, "'His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog…'"

Morgana ruffled his eyebrows. "Abuse on top of plagiarism, huh?"

Ryuji was proud that he remembered the post. "If this is real, it'll be a  _ huge _ scandal."

"I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this. I mean, he  _ is _ a pupil of his," Ann pondered.

"Who knows? It's anonymous and all…" Ryuji shrugged.

Morgana mewled from within Akira's bag. "In that case, it's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one."

"It wouldn't add up if it didn't." Akira played and tugged at the strand of his hair. He flattened the wrinkles on his pants and adjusted the collar of his white sweater. "Madarame is too uncommon of a name and I doubt that it would be a random person."

"But still, a man like that is doing such a thing?" Ann sighed and brushed her shoulders on Ryuji. "I wonder if we can ask that Shadow from earlier about this. Oh. Actually, we just need to talk to him in reality."

"And how are we gonna go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?" Ryuji questioned her. It was a bad idea to go out in public like that.

Morgana nodded. "Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's the possibility that Madarame will find out."

"Oh… Yeah, right…"

"It's not very phantom thief-like if we ask people in person with our identities exposed…" Akira added to Morgana's statement. "But we have to try and find out more about Madarame. It's too suspicious to pass up."

"I know, right? This all fits way too well to just be a coincidence." Ryuji screenshot the post he had on his phone and smirked. He nudged on with confidence. "If this post is legit, ain't this the kinda target we've been waitin' for?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Ann said with uncertainty. "Is it really true?

"By the way," Ryuji asked, "what did you do about the whole modeling thing?"

"Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. And the address to his sensei's atelier." Ann looked at Ryuji aa he sat up and stood on his feet, his smile as bright as ever.

"He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing. Let's try goin' tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school!"

"What? We're just gonna go talk to Kitagawa." Ryuji told her. Ann smiled and breathed out in relief.

"Oh, that's what you meant…"

Akira stress-cooked when he got home. Sojiro was concerned when Akira came in through the door with bags upon  _ bags _ of food weighed on each of his arms.

"Uh, you need to use the kitchen, kid…?"

"Yes…  _ Please…" _

Akira didn't know how many things he made that night and how much money he spent on making multiple meals. He made all of them suitable for lunchboxes and he planned on giving them to his friends during lunch. He also didn't know how many pots of coffee he ended up making, but it was enough for Morgana to plead with him.

"Akira,  _ please, _ you've made enough for a family of eight at this point… Come on, let's get to bed, okay?"

The dishes in the sink were piled up and Akira's apron was stained. Akira took in a deep breath and it seemed like he was starting to put away all of his things. He started to slowly take off his apron and hang it up, wiped down the counters, and slick back his hair.

"Oh, thank god…"

And then Akira started to boil eggs in a pot.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING?!" Morgana screeched. Akira turned the heat up to high and replied to him with pink cheeks and a pouty face.

"Deviled eggs!"

"IT'S ALMOST 11 PM, GO TO  _ BED." _

Akira finally went to bed after making his deviled eggs and washing the dishes. His hands were red (he may have accidentally nicked himself with a knife), but he felt like all of his stress and anxiety had disappeared along with a chunk of his wallet.

Maruki-sensei taught the morning class. "Hey there. I'm Maruki-sensei, your school counselor. Thanks to the school, I can even talk to you outside of counseling now. I want to talk a little about how mental health and perception can affect you. Don't worry— I don't want to stress you out or anything. Just relax and listen."

Akira wasn't paying attention, even though he knew he should be focused on what Maruki-sensei was saying, but his eyes didn't move away from his bag that was heavy with not one, not two, not  _ three; _ but  _ four lunchboxes. _

"How much do you guys know about the emotional mind? See, what's going on in your mind can affect your body pretty significantly. There's proof it can even heal you, depending on your outlook. So, Kurusu-kun!"

"Eh?" Akira lifted his head and wiped his eyes.

"What do we call the phenomenon where believing in a treatment's power is enough to improve your condition?"

Akira didn't even have to think about his answer "The placebo effect."

"Yup! That's correct! Some people specify that placebos don't actually have any curative properties. But even if the medicine does nothing chemically, it can affect your perception and help you feel better," Maruki-sensei informed the class. "On the other hand, if we don't trust the medicine to begin with, it might make you feel even worse… We call that a nocebo."

Akira wasn't even paying attention to the gossip around him. He was just staring at his bag and hoped that they'd like his food…

He passed Ann and Ryuji lunchboxes during their break. They sat down in the corridor and watched the students evade them. Ryuji started drooling when Akira pulled out the first box, gaped when he pulled out the second, and nearly passed out when he saw the third one. There was still an extra box inside of it.

"Oh my  _ god… _ Akira, did you sell your soul to make this?!" Ann gasped when she opened the lid. Deviled eggs, rice with a pickled plum, rolled egg, bacon, and that was only the first layer of the box.  _ There was one more layer. _

"I made it all last night."

_ "Why?! _ What was the purpose of doing this?" Ann asked him.

Morgana sighed. "He calls it 'stress cooking.' He makes food non-stop for hours on end to clear his mind. I stopped him at the 11 PM mark when he started cutting his fingers every time he sliced something."

"The fruits of my labor…" Akira held up his fingers wrapped around and covered in bandages. Ryuji cringed and grabbed onto his wrist, inspecting his hands. They were red and shaky.

"Dude, we need to find you a better stress outlet… I don't want you hurtin' yourself."

"This is the only time I've gone overboard… I-if I'm going to be completely honest with you guys, I haven't been feeling very good these days…"

"Huh? What's the matter, Akira? You can tell us anything, you know?"

_ "I'm an idol, my heart always pounds when I'm near you, and I don't want to go back to my hometown because my parents—" _

"I've just been stressed lately. So much has happened to be in a month and it's really weird for me. I guess my emotions just exploded and I took it out like this. I went to a counseling session yesterday, but I still feel like my mind is still crowded. You guys are the only people I can talk about Kamoshida with."

_ "Why can I still not bring myself to tell the truth…?" _ Akira flexed one of his bandaged hands and opened and closed his palms. They were sore and achy, scared that his wounds would open up if he kept stressing them.

"What's the main pressing problem about Kamoshida for you right now? Well, I can guess but I wanna make sure…" Ryuji asked him.

"I-I said I wanted to be stronger and move on from Kamoshida, but… I feel like no matter what I do, I just  _ can't _ move past it. It's almost like a plague," Akira explained to them. "What happened would be bad for anybody, but when it comes to being a male… the story is different."

"I don't know what to say 'cause I don't wanna give the wrong advice but… Maybe it's  _ okay _ to mourn about the shit that's happened to you," Ryuji told him. "It's bad to just try and immediately toss it aside. The track shit that happened to me happened last year and I only just started tryin' to move on from it."

"It's okay to feel angry and pissed off. It's also okay to feel sad. It's just finding a way to deal with it healthily, I think." Ann patted him on the back and held up her chopsticks to her mouth. "Thank you for the food, but don't hurt yourself to do this, okay?"

Akira smiled at them. It's okay to let these feelings settle into him…? "I won't. I promise."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"Phantom thieves goin' by train… Hah, this ain't  _ any _ different from how I get home from school, y'know." Ryuji groaned to them. They were on the train and headed towards Kitagawa-san's place. Ann and Akira were on the seats and Ryuji opted out and stood up instead.

Ann looked at Ryuji and crossed her legs together, her red leggings smoothing against each other. "The train is the fastest way to go— plus, we can bring pets on here."

Morgana poked his head out of his bag in an instant and made Akira squeak in surprise. "Hey, who're you calling a pet?!"

"Dude, be quiet! We didn't pay the pet fare!"

_ "I'm _ the one guiding you to your destination! You should be calling me 'Master'!" Morgana hissed at Ryuji. Morgana wasn't guiding them to their destination at all…

"Ooh, kitty!" A little girl walked over to them and spotted the black cat inside of Akira's bag. Akira stared at the girl and then stared at Morgana. What was he going to say?

"Er, shoot…!" Ann choked, her breath getting tight.

"Is that your pet, Mister? I heard it meowing!" The innocent little girl. There's another weak spot that Akira has…  _ kids. _ Cute little kids. Adorable little kids.

"It's actually a stuffed animal! It looks very cute, doesn't it?" Akira showed off Morgana and petted his torso. Morgana tried to stay stiff as if he were a toy.

"Yeah, it's just a toy. It  _ meows _ when you press on its head," Ann lied. Ryuji smirked and turned to Akira.

"You heard her, Akira.  _ Press on its head." _

"This is ridic—"

Akira pressed on his head and Morgana forced out a meow. He looked like his world was falling when he was forced to meow like a cat. "M-mewww…"

"Wowweeeee! Again! Again!"

Akira took a deep breath in and put his hand on top of Morgana's head and rubbed his head gently.

"Purrr… Mew, meow…" Morgana's leaned into Akira's touch and purred out.

"Heheh, it's so cute! I wanna hear it again!" The little girl professed and stared at the cat with sparkling eyes.

"Dude… The cat's droolin'… " Ryuji scoffed. Morgana was melting into Akira's touch. Akira sighed and kept scratching under Morgana's neck. He seemed to be enjoying his life.

"The next stop is Shibuya. Shibuya. Doors will open on the left side."

"Oh, this is our stop! Well, see you later! Bye-bye!" Ann smiled and lifted herself off from the blue seat. The little girl waved her small hand.

"Mm-hm! Bye-bye!"

_ "Cute…" _

They got off the trains and looked at the maps plastered onto one of the pillars holding up the underground area. Ryuji looked down and eyed the scramble of colored lines leading to wherever they led to. "So, which line do we gotta transfer to?"

"Doesn't look like there are any stations close by to that address… If anything, this is the closest station."

"What?!" Ryuji spluttered to Ann. "Then we gotta walk the rest of the way?! What kinda phantom thief takes the train, and then walks to their destination?!"

"Stop your complaining," Morgana mumbled in his bag.

"It's supposedly a shack, but this is the neighborhood he lives in… As expected of a famous artist." Ann pointed at the map. "Looks like the fastest route is to get to the station square and then go to Central Street. Let's move!"

They walked to a residential area and looked up to a house that stood out among the rest. While every house around here was a pristine white color, his house was made out of rusted scrap metal that was pieced together to make it look even worse than it already was. Ryuji couldn't believe his eyes. "Is… that it?"

"We're at the right address… The door plate does say 'Madarame.'" She looked at her phone with Kitagawa-san's contact information. The name and place of the area matched what was given to her.

"Uhhh… You ring the bell." Ryuji pointed at her with her thumb.

"Me?! The walls won't collapse when I do, will they?"

Morgana laughed as they started to head towards the door. "No one sneeze or we'll bring this house down, okay?"

Ann rang the bell and they got an immediate answer from Kitagawa-san.  "Who is it? Sensei is currently—"

"Um, it's Takamaki."

"A-and Kurusu Akira. I've never introduced myself to you. My apologies.

"I'll be right out!"

Ryuji laughed at Kitagawa-san's voice. It was in awe and disbelief. "People really  _ do _ live here…"

The door slid open without any hesitation. It made Akira jump back. Kitagawa-san was looking shocked and happy at the same time. "Takamaki-san and Kurusu-sa—"

"…You're here as well?" Kitagawa-san was referring to Ryuji.

"Hey." Ryuji smiled. "Sorry, but uh… we ain't here to talk about the modeling thing. There's something we gotta ask you."

"Is it true Madarame's plagiarizin' stuff? He's abusin' people too, yeah?"

Ryuji didn't even stutter at his question. He was bold, way too bold…

"Are you  _ serious?"  _ This was the end of them. Kitagawa-san sounded angry at them. His eyes became sharp and cruel at the question.

Ryuji walked a little closer, getting rid of the space between them. He held up his phone with the screenshot of the post. "We read about it online."

Kitagawa-san walked up to observe the message on the phone. "This..?" Kitagawa-san laughed in a manic state at the message, putting a hand on his forehead at how outlandish the message was, and shook his head after his fit was done.

"Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but  _ abuse? _ He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence; it is charity!" Kitagawa-san yelled at Ryuji. Akira looked between the two boys. They were dripping anger and testosterone all over them. Akira didn't know what to do when Kitagawa-san kept axing away the claims. "And I'm the one residing here and studying under him.  _ I'm _ saying it's not true, so it's  _ beyond _ doubt."

"You might be lyin' about it!"

"That…" Kitagawa-san was taken aback. He looked lost and scared, but he quickly built his walls back up. "…That is utter rubbish."

Kitagawa-san pressed his face closer to Ryuji and made him take a step back. "I had no family when Sensei took me in and raised me into what you see now! If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will  _ rue _ this day!"

"…You really think that?" Ann asked Kitagawa-san. It was like Akira was a pitiful housecat surrounded by aggressive lions.

"Yusuke?"

They all jumped at Madarame-sama's appearance. The quaint elderly man walked into the doorframe in concern. His eyebrows were ruffled in confusion. "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."

"These people are  _ slandering _ you with baseless rumors!"

"…Forgive them, Yusuke."

_ "Huh?" _ Akira was taken aback by Madarame-sama's words. Were they wrong and this was a genuinely nice man? Akira scanned the man's face for any clues. Something that sets him apart as a true manipulator but he saw…  _ nothing. "Why can't I tell? I could always tell before a month ago but… What happened to me…?" _

"They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety," Madarame-sama explained to Kitagawa-san. Kitagawa-san sighed, listening to his teacher's words but he remained unforgiving.

"…Understood, Sensei."

"Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by  _ everyone." _

Ann frowned. "That's  _ not _ what we meant…"

"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation. However, I do have neighbors around. Won't you please keep it down?" Madarame-sama asked of them. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

The man walked back inside and Kitagawa-san tried to keep in his anger, grunting when he looked back at Ryuji. He calmed himself and kept his emotions at bay. "That was discourteous of me… I'm sorry."

"…I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting." Kitagawa-san pulled out his phone and swept through his gallery. He showed them a photo of a beautiful woman in a red shirt, staring down at nothing. The emotions that were painted in her eyes looked powerful. "It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece— it's titled 'Sayuri.'"

"'Sayuri'…?" Ann questioned while looking at the painting. It was stunning.

Kitagawa-san nodded. "This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist."

"It's so beautiful… I-I can feel the emotion in her eyes, but I can't tell what it is…" Akira mumbled.

"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive…" Ryuji murmured in awe as Kitagawa-san put his phone back in his pocket. He gazed at Ann's blonde pigtails and Akira's large eyes, hidden underneath loose hairs and a pair of glasses.

"When I first saw you two, I felt the same powerful emotions as when I saw this painting…"

"Me and Akira?" Ann pointed at the two of them. Akira swallowed his saliva and said nothing.

Kitagawa-san nodded solemnly, basking in their presence. The emotions they gave off were different, but they all held the same concept inside of them. "I wish to pursue beauty like this. And I believe drawing you two will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer. It'll be splendid if even one of you agrees to it, but it'd give me peace to know that the two of you will let me paint."

"I'm sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you'll excuse me, then." Kitagawa-san walked into the house.

Akira almost forgot about something and he stuttered out, "U-um! Wait a second, Kitagawa-san."

"What is it that you need?" Kitagawa-san asked him. Akira pulled out one of the bentos from his bag and handed it to Kitagawa-san. He was shocked and he hesitantly took it into his hands. "…What is this?"

"A bento box. It's for you please take it." Akira smiled. Kitagawa-san's gaze went down to Akira's small hands, inflamed and covered with bandages.

"…Did you hurt yourself while making this?"

"A-a bit, but I'll be fine in a week! I hope you have a good day."

"…I will. Thank you for the food."

And he shut the door on them.

The three of them stood outside of the house. Ryuji and Morgana sat on a fence and were consumed by thought. Akira was conflicted. They were  _ all _ conflicted. Unlike Kamoshida, this man seemed kind and understanding, like he actually cared for his pupils and the lives of the young.

Ryuji had the courage to say what they had all been thinking. "Those two… seem like nice guys, don't they?"

"Maybe the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is a different person." Ann felt guilty that they antagonized Madarame-sama like that.

"Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too…"

"W-we shouldn't stop there… We should check the MetaNav, right?" Akira affirmed his choice. Though Madarame looked kind on the outside, something felt off in his heart. He knew that some people that had nice faces and kind gestures carried a demon inside of them.

"Oh yeah, how is the MetaNav?"

"Results found."

_ "HUH?" _ All of them bent over Akira's phone with wide eyes.

"Hey, the app…" Ryuji faltered. They got a hit.

"Was it picking up our conversation?" Ann asked. "This display… it means that Madarame has a Palace too, right?! But why?!"

"'Madarame,' 'plagiarism'… and then 'shack,' huh? These seem to be the keywords," Morgana announced.

Even though Ryuji was seeing it right in front of him, it felt so weird. "For real though, what the hell's goin' on?! Does an old man like him really have a Palace?!"

"Distorted desires are distorted desires, regardless of their age or gender." Akira was blunt with his response. "Madarame-sama seems kind, but I-I still get goosebumps when I talk to him. B-but we have the name and the location now! We just need what Madarame thinks his shack is."

"Any guess?" Morgana lilted.

Ann put her hands on her upper arms and thought. "It's like how Kamoshida thought the school was like his castle, right?"

"Precisely. Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses."

Ryuji scratched behind his ear and craned his neck. "It's a bit sudden, though…"

"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" Ann looked at the phone expectantly.

"No candidates found."

Ryuji clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Then, what about 'prison'?"

"No candidates found."

"Ugh, what a  _ pain!" _ Ryuji complained. "'Jail'! 'Warehouse'! And 'guidance counselin' office'! Might as well add 'farm'!"

"No candidates found."

Ryuji slumped his head down. "Not a single hit?"

"…Should we come back another time?" Morgana looked to Akira and he shook his head.

"N-no! I know we can get this. We have to narrow our options down. Madarame is an artist, so we should center our basic ideas around that. I-if none of them work, we can move onto similarly connected things." Akira tapped his foot and tugged at the strands of his hair.

Ann chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. This couldn't be it, right…? "Would 'museum' be too obvious…?"

"Beginning navigation…"

"'Beginning navigation…' Whoa, really?!" Ryuji pushed himself off of the fence and stood next to Akira. The eye on Akira's phone twitched and glitched.

"I-I guess it  _ was _ that obvious." Akira chuckled.

Their world faded into red and black. Morgana's eyes widened. He was standing on the fence and he looked at his hands. "Hey, when did you activate the Nav?! You surprised me!"

"Didn't have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right." Ryuji pointed out.

"What if I hadn't noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy?!"

"Prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin' on two legs."

Akira snorted. It wasn't wrong, but the way Ryuji said it made it feel so blunt. That was just the way Ryuji spoke, though. Morgana growled, knowing that it was true.

"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Morgana?" Ann saw Morgana's slightly distressed expression.

"Yes. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle."

"Forget that…" Ryuji pointed over to the real problem. It was what they were hunting for this entire time. "Look!"

It was made out of gold. Patterns were swirled onto its surface, visible from the light that reflected off of it. It was huge, taking up more than double of what the shack's size was. Ryuji couldn't believe its size. How delusion was Madarame?

"That shack is seriously some kinda museum?!"

Ann started to head towards the golden museum. "Let's check it out!"

The closer they walked to the entrance, they saw a crowd of people lining up to get inside. Ann frowned at the cognitive people lining up. The museum was so bright that it didn't look like night in this world. "It's so extravagant… to the point that it's  _ gaudy. _ It's a museum… right?"

"I-I've never seen a museum look like this…" Akira couldn't stop looking at the amount of gold that was on the museum.

"Is this really Madarame's?"

"Well, a Palace is a world formed by a mind twisted by desire— remember Kamoshida's castle?" Morgana recalled.

"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though." Ann pointed out. "His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a  _ museum?" _

Ryuji crossed his arms. It  _ was _ weird. He already achieved his goal of being famous, so what purpose did the museum serve? "You got a point… It ain't related to plagiarism or abuse, either."

"Let's try looking around," Morgana suggested. "Racking our brains here won't do us any good."

"…Right." Ryuji nodded seriously, but it seeped off of him as soon as it came. "That aside… Ain't a museum a  _ must _ for phantom thieves?!"

"Of course it is! I bet there're traps, too…" Akira rubbed his hands together. It was time to go castle surfing… But this time they wouldn't do it all in one go for their safety.

Morgana purred. "Now  _ that's _ our Joker. I feel the same."

"But man, just look at that insane crowd…" Ryuji whistled as they started to head around. They were going to find another entrance around the area. It was impossible to go through the front with a crowd as huge as that (and because phantom thieves never use the entrance). It was easy to find a way up, though. Just a few jumps onto a truck and over the wall they went.

"This is really how he thinks of that run-down shack…?" Morgana scoffed. "It's overwhelmingly shiny…"

Ann mumbled under her breath. She felt like her eyes were being burned from how bright it was. "It's just hitting me that this is that old guy's Palace…"

"That's why we're here, right? C'mon, let's go check it out."

They jumped across pillars and peered down at the security below them. They were dressed as actual guards, surprisingly. He was too used to seeing them as indistinguishable blobs or guards that the most normal form seemed the most out of place. Ryuji seethed. "Damn, security here too."

"Go, go, go! We can't stand in one spot for long or they'll find us!" Akira shoved them away from the public eye and they scaled up the sides of the golden wall. They saw a blue and yellow panel at the top. The yellow one was slightly skewed.

Ryuji smirked and placed his hand on the panel and cranked it up a little more. He looked into the hole. "Ooh! The skylight's open! I think we can get in here."

"But it's a pretty far drop…" Ann admitted. "Will we be able to get back out this way?"

Morgana cackled and pulled out a long rope from his storage. "Hehe, don't worry… I have a rope! I'm our tool specialist, after all! So, what's your call, Joker? Want to head inside?" Morgana stretched the rope out in his paws and gave him a toothy grin.

"Send it in!"

Morgana tied the rope to one of the bars and inched it in from above. Once it was on the ground, they dropped down one by one from the skylight.

"…It's quiet in here. Almost eerily so." Morgana shuddered. Akira couldn't help his shudder. It was also cold, even though he was wearing a coat. There was complete silence inside the museum, which is to be expected because it's a  _ museum, _ but it didn't feel right. It was unsteady silence. If he dropped a coin onto the floor, he feels like he'd trip an alarm.

"H-hey… This…" Ann looked at the large painting in front of her. "It's… moving…"

"C'mon, we're in a  _ Palace. _ That ain't anything to be freakin' out over," Ryuji told her.

"Hm, the Palace reflects its ruler's heart… We may want to check these paintings out."

Akira was already looking at them, even without Morgana's input. He looked at a painting of a young girl on the left. Her facial features were wiped away, but there was an explanation at the bottom. "It's someone's name and age…"

Akira felt his heart plummet. This feels bad.

"That can't be the title of the painting… right?" Ann nervously read it. "Do you think it's the artist's name?"

"Let's look at a few more." Akira started to walk to the painting to the right of it. "I can't say much until I see more." There were so many paintings of people. He couldn't even keep count. Each of them said their names and ages on them, all of them of different genders and ages. This felt  _ wrong. _

"Hey, this doesn't make any sense… Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles… But all the portraits on display here look the same…" Ann pointed out her observations. "This is way different from what was at the—"

Akira wasn't paying attention. He knew he was right about his assumptions when he saw the painting in front of them. "…It's Nakanohara. Nakanohara Natsuhiko."

"Dude, I don't get it. Why's there a painting of him here?! And more important, why's his name written under it?"

"I know why."

"Huh?! What is it, then?" Ryuji pried Akira for the answers.

Akira turned away from the painting quickly. He didn't want to look at it anymore. He started to walk off, his coattails swished behind him. He kept his red-gloved hands behind his back. "I'm not telling you guys."

"Huh?! Joker, wait  _ up!" _

The further they went in, their faces became more and more detailed. The wrinkles were drawn in, their small moles and eyelashes… And at the end was a tall painting with a blue-tint haired boy.

"Hey, isn't this a painting of that guy?" Ryuji stared at the painting's face closely.

Morgana read the text. "It says 'Kitagawa Yusuke.' There's no mistaking it."

"Huh? Wait a second…" Ann breathed out. Akira could see her breath from how freezing it was. It was the coldest in front of the painting. "These paintings are… Madarame's pupils, aren't they?" Ann turned to Akira for confirmation.

"That's right. All of these people seemed to have been Madarame's pupil at some point in time."

"For real? Holy shit, that's so many… I could only count to ten before I lost track…"

Morgana crossed his arms. So many people were under Madarame's watchful eye… "Only one remains now… and it's Yusuke. We need something to further confirm our deduction. Let's start investigating."

They went down the stairs and were led into some kind of lobby area. Akira's eyes latched onto something sparkling inside of a golden stand. Inside of it were golden pamphlets. They cracked open a few chests before taking one out of the stand.

"This is gettin' way too detailed for a freakin' Palace… Why'd he bother makin' something like this?" Ryuji complained.

"W-well, it has a map of the museum here. It's only a bit of this floor, though." Akira scanned the map and squinted. "Everything here is made out of gold…"

"It hurts my eyes to look at… But hey! It might even show us the location of the Treasure!" Ann cheered him up. Akira sighed. He knew that the Treasure wouldn't be on the first floor… Madarame wasn't that stupid. Or maybe he was…?

"That is a possibility. At the very least, it should be a good reference for the scale of this place." Morgana saw Akira turn the paper around, watching the gold reflect off of the light around them.

Ryuji was looking at it normally until his eyebrows furled, squinting his eyes to see if he was reading it right. "Wait, it says two outta two… That means that there's another to this map, right? Just how big is this place?"

"We can worry about that later! We're just checking out the place right now to see why Madarame's cognition is like this." Ann watched Akira go over the map one more time before putting it back. He already memorized the layout…

"Depending on what we find, we might have to reconsider our plan." Morgana gave them a heads up.

"I mean, he's got a Palace… Seems pretty sketch to me."

Akira nodded at Ryuji. "I-I think that's reasoning enough…"

They ran through a connecting hallway that led into a large area. Flags waved above a golden statue that spiraled chaotically. Ann walked up to the statue first and read the writing etched onto the small sign that was next to it. "'The Infinite Spring'? 'A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!' Hey… This is most likely about the plagiarism, right?"

Ryuji cussed. "Dammit, what a phony geezer!"

"In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true." Morgana fumed. "He's stealing ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood."

Morgana continued, "I wondered about those portraits on display… They must all be his 'pupils' through his cognition. This even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not…"

"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" Ann yelled in fury.

"Why's Yusuke keepin' quiet about this? He's got no reason to cover this up!" Ryuji wanted to destroy this statue, but he kept himself back.

"He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in…" Ann grimaced.

"But still…!"

"When we were at the exhibit," Ann huffed, "I praised one of the pieces on display. But… Kitagawa-kun acted strange. Maybe  _ that _ piece was plagiarized too…"

"What's the call?" Ryuji turned to Akira. "Ain't this enough to target Madarame?!"

"I don't want to hop onto anything. Mona, what do you suggest?" Akira diverted the responsibility onto Morgana.

"We should confirm these facts with Yusuke first." Morgana presented.

"Yeah."

"Confirm  _ what, _ though?!" Ryuji argued with Ann and Morgana.

Morgana grumbled. "It  _ means _ we should get solid evidence that such crimes actually took place."

"What a pain in the ass…"

"Think of it this way, Skull: we don't know that much Madarame, so paying him a visit in person would be a lot more useful than going through the cognition of his house."

"We might be able to get the truth out of him if we accept Kitagawa-kun's modeling offer." Ann pointed at Akira. "I feel like it's our best bet."

"Wait, you're gonna do  _ that?!" _ Morgana gasped.

"I-if we're gonna do it, can you guys come with us…?" Akira was sweating bullets. Modeling at Kitagawa-san's… He just hoped he didn't have to take off those glasses.

"I'll come with you guys, don't worry 'bout it. But a famous, renowned artist, huh? This might be tougher than Kamoshida. Well, we'll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke." Ryuji reassured them. "This is our  _ first _ mission as  _ real _ phantom thieves. We're gonna succeed no matter what!"

"Your enthusiasm makes me feel like we can do this…! All right! I'll do the modeling!" Akira pumped his hands and assured himself that everything would be fine in the end. It was all for the sake of the Phantom Thieves!

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|9:22 PM|May 16th|**

**Ann:** would u really forgive someone unconditionally if u owe ur life to them??? 🤨

**Ann:** immmm not so sure anymore 😔

**Ryuji:** whatre ya bringin this up for??

**Ann:** according to kitagawa-kun, madarame isnt a problem

**Akira:** wait, what?

**Akira:** what is that supposed to mean?

**Ryuji:** yeah is smth wrong??

**Ann:** i mean,,,

**Ann:** i know madarame is a bad person, but still… 🥺

**Ann:** maybe im so hesitant because i havent actually met any of his victims

**Ryuji:** yeah i guess that parts totally dif from what happened w/ kamoshida

**Ann:** hey, this might be an extreme line of thinking…

**Ann:** but if an evil person isnt causing any trouble now…

**Ann:** is there really a point in us stepping in??

**Ryuji:** well

**Ryuji:** u got a point...

**Ryuji:** so we're gonna let yusuke decide if madarames worth goin after or not??

**Ryuji:** i dunno… if it were me id never forgive that bastard!!!

**Akira:** it's how Kitagawa-san feels about it.

**Akira:** i think if Madarame was no longer evil, he wouldn't have a Palace anymore. but that isn't the case

**Akira:** something is still going on with Madarame to make him have those distorted desires

**Ann:** yeah, we could talk to kitagawa-kun more after we ask him how he feels about it

**Ann:** k lets meet in shibuya after school tmrw!!

**Ann:** gn everyone!! 💞💟🌸💌🎉

**Akira:** good night, Ann!!!

**Ryuji:** night guys!

Akira was exhausted after the Palace. He quickly unbuttoned his jacket and folded it up. He pushed his suspenders off to the side and put his fingers underneath the cloth of his shirt. Just as he was about to pull it off, Ryuji called him.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." Ryuji greeted him. "I just can't forgive Madarame, but… what Ann said made me think… To Yusuke, are we just a buncha thugs?"

"I-I'm going to be completely honest, he probably does…"

He could hear Ryuji give off a heavy sigh.  "I knew it… It ain't like he thinks it is! Pisses me off just thinkin' about it! Good people have to put up with so much crap while… while shitty adults do  _ whatever _ they want! Makes me sick, I-I'm not wrong, am I?"

"If we're all together, I know we'll be able to take them down. W-we just have to be careful about it!"

"Aww yeah! Don't tell Ann I called you by the way. Seriously."

"Pfft! A-all right! I won't tell her. No need to worry, okay?"

"Thanks, man. Well, see you tomorrow. Goodnight for real this time."

Akira smiled. "Night night, Ryuji."

The next morning was filled with texting hijinx. Ann contacted Kitagawa-san about being an art model along with Akira and she hadn't gotten a response.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|1:32 PM|May 17th|**

**Ann:** i really have no idea what im supposed to do as an art model though,,

**Akira:** art models generally have to stay in one position for long periods, so make sure you have good stamina!!

**Akira:** i'm sure we'll be just fine

**Ryuji:** that just came from the dude that has 0 stamina

**Ryuji:** ur gonna effin die

**Ryuji:** u dont even hafta go all out for this!! all we're doin is gettin dirt on madarame

**Ann:** that IS true…

**Ann:** it sounded like kitagawa-kun wants this to be a private picture of us though…

**Ann:** i'll let you guys know when he contacts me again

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"I got a response from Kitagawa-kun. He said he wants us to come over after school today."

All four of them were in their usu hangout spot; loitering around the vending machines. Ryuji smiled at the message that Ann relayed to them. "Perfect! Probably dropped all his plans just to get the two of you over there."

"I-I'm kinda nervous…" Akira admitted. His fingers were still covered in bandages. "We just need to see if what we saw in the Palace is true…"

"Hey, quiet down." Morgana whisper-yelled to them. "It's that student council president."

They all looked over to see Nijima-senpai and Mishima talking with each other. Akira cringed, but Ryuji was cringing harder.

"Yikes… She got a hold of Mishima today? It'd  _ suck _ if she noticed us. C'mon, let's split up." Ryuji told them. Morgana ran into Akira's bag and he hoisted him over his shoulder and sat up from the bench.

Ann nodded and started to gather her things as well. "Okay, see you later."

The next time they met up was at the Shibuya accessway. Only Ryuji and Akira were there. They were waiting for Ann to arrive.

"We finally landed a big target. C'mon, let's get some dirt on Madarame." Ryuji looked like he was ready to take on anything and it terrified Akira whenever Ryuji had that attitude because he  _ would _ and he  _ will _ do anything if the situation calls for it. "But man… Ann's late."

As soon as she said that, the girl in pigtails came walking over. "Sorry. I was thinking about some things and didn't notice how much time had passed."

"Thinkin' about what?"

"Don't you think Kitagawa-kun  _ has _ to be protecting Madarame?" Ann wondered. "I mean they live together, so he'd have to be aware of Madarame's true nature. The only reason I can think of him doing that is that Madarame has something on him."

"Yeah, that's weird. But that's why we're goin' check it out, right? Are you two ready to be models?"

"I guess I am…"

"Yeah, I'm prepared. I think Akira is, too."

Ryuji quirked up an eyebrow at Ann. "Whaddya mean 'prepared'? Prepared for  _ what? _ Something seems different about her to you?"

Akira knew what was different but he pretended like he didn't. "Did she cut her bangs?"

"Ooh, nice eye!"

"I didn't cut them."

"H-huh. Well… let's get goin'. We gotta talk to Yusuke."

"Kitagawa-kun seemed  _ really _ happy when I agreed to be his model. He seemed even happier when I mentioned that Akira wanted to come also." Ann moved her pigtails to the side. "Once he finishes drawing and gets a little friendlier, we should bring up Madarame."

They nodded at her suggestion. While they were riding on the train, Akira was sitting in between Ann and Ryuji. Akira quietly whispered to Ann while Morgana and Ryuji were distracted. "U-um… I like the shade of lipstick you're wearing today. It's subtle, but it's very pretty."

"Y-you noticed?" Ann whispered back to him. She was wearing a bit more makeup than usual and it made her look gorgeous. Well, she was always pretty, but if she felt happier like this, he felt like she was even prettier. "I like yours too. It's hidden behind your glasses, but that's eyeliner, right? I didn't know you liked makeup."

"I-I used to put it on a lot before coming to Tokyo, b-but this is the first time I've worn it in a while…"

"Because you'd stand out?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Well… I think it'd be fine if you wore it around at school. You already stand out in your way. You look incredible."

Akira blushed at her sweet smile. He gave a shy smile back and fiddled with his hair. "…Thank you."

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"I thought it would just be you two coming." Kitagawa-san glared at Ryuji. Akira and Ann stood in the center of a room. The room beneath the easel was covered in paint. The house looked like it'd fall at any second.

"Wouldn't you get nervous? I knew I would if it was just the three of us," Ann excused herself. Akira cleared his throat and turned his gaze away from Kitagawa-san's gaze.

"I'm here to keep an eye on you, so don't try anything perverted, 'kay?"

Kitagawa-san san sighed. "Stop making such odd assumptions. I have absolutely no interest in Takamaki-san as someone of the opposite sex."

_ "Huh?" _

"Is there a problem?"

"…No, not really." Akira could see Ann die inside at Kitagawa-san's brutal words. He didn't seem to know why it'd hurt her, but neither did Ryuji. "Uh, how should we pose?"

"Just do what'd be comfortable for you two. I just need your essence to be fully extracted for this painting…"

"Oh, uh… all right." Ann sat down on the box behind her and leaned her arms over Akira's shoulders. She wrapped her hands around Akira's face in adoration and rested her face on top of Akira's messy hair. Akira sat down on the ground and crossed his legs, keeping his hands on Ann's arm. He didn't know what he was feeling, but every time Ann shifted a little he could feel a chill go up his spine. "Is this okay with you, Aki?"

"Y-y-yeah… It's okay with me."

"Kurusu-san, would you mind taking off your glasses?" He asked him. Akira's lips went into a thin line and shakily took off his glasses. Ann lightly gasped.

"I know your eyes are pretty, but I've never seen you without glasses up close like this," Ann whispered to him. She was in shock at how big they were and how long his eyelashes were. The color of his eyes was incredible. It seemed silver in the light, but it also looked red at times. Why did she feel like she's seen them before…?

Kitagawa-san sat on his stool and raised his brush, smiling at his models. "Well then, let's get started."

Kitagawa-san started to draw out the basic shape that they were in, occasionally looking back at them to copy down what they were doing.

Ann tried to spark a conversation. "…Hey." No answer. Kitagawa-san looked at Ann and went back to his art. Ann's eyebrows rose in shock he just looked at her, why wasn't he responding? She tried again. "Kitagawa-kun?"

He only hummed in thought, a serious and determined expression on his face. His lips were clamped together and his adam's apple bobbed as he focused on the one thing that mattered. Ryuji leaned forward a bit and cupped his hand around his mouth. "You hear her?"

"…It's no use." Ann shook her head. Their plan failed as soon as it started.

"This isn't what we planned! We were gonna catch him off guard and make him spill his beans, weren't we?" Morgana meowed.

Ryuji gestured to Kitagawa-san wildly. "How were we supposed to know  _ this _ was gonna happen? Guess we just gotta wait 'til he's done… What an effin' pain in the ass…"

"Perhaps I should try going outside this room…" Morgana looked over to the blue and white checkered sliding door.

"Please don't… If you get caught, we're done for…" Akira sighed, turning his eyes to Morgana. They were entrancing him to listen to what he said and follow his pleas. Akira was akin to a siren when he had his glasses off. Maybe that's why he always wore them…

"Ergh—! No, no, no! I won't get caught! Trust me, you know who you're talking to, right?" Morgana stretched himself out of the bag and scraped his claws along the wooden floor. "This is too boring, so I'm going to scout around a bit."

Akira didn't know how many hours had passed. Akira had fallen asleep underneath Ann, her soft breaths and caresses lulling him to sleep.

A sigh heavy with dissatisfaction came from Kitagawa-san's mouth and it made Akira's eyes shoot open.

Ryuji was staring down at his phone the entire time. He was eager to talk to Kitagawa-san. "Are you done?"

"It's no good…"

_ "…What?" _ Ryuji stood up from his seat quickly at his words.

"I'm sorry…" Ann apologized. "Are we the problem…?"

"Y-yeah, s-sorry…" Akira bowed. Kitagawa-san shook his head in frustration.

"No, not at all. It's just… I'm having trouble staying focused today. I'm sorry, but we'll have to resume this another time."

"Oh  _ hell _ no! How many hours do you think you made us wait?!" Ryuji screeched at him, his face red from anger.

Ann and Akira moved up from their positions, but Akira sat down on the stool she just got up from. He had been staying in that spot for so long that his legs felt like jelly. Ann dusted her red leggings off and frowned. "I'm sorry… We had another reason for seeing you today… We needed to talk to you."

"It's about those rumors regarding your sensei."

Kitagawa-san scowled. "This again…" He stood up and stared them down. Kitagawa-san seemed like a giant from Akira's position.

"That painting I saw at the exhibit… You're the one who actually painted it, right?" Ann thought about the interaction she had long and hard. Kitagawa-san's inability to stay looking at it for too long before ushering her to other paintings.

Kitagawa-san winced. "That's…"

"I knew it."

"Your sensei's  _ seriously _ messed up. He just thinks of his pupils as  _ tools." _ Ryuji tried to get through to Kitagawa-san with harsh words, but what other way was there? He didn't budge if he didn't. "That's why he doesn't give a damn whether he steals their work or physically beats them. I'll make this clear: there's no point in hidin' stuff from us."

"Hahaha… I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Ann grimaced. Kitagawa-san was stressed from their questioning, but they needed to get the answers out of him. "You couldn't go against him, could you? I'm sure we can help you out though…"

"Stop it…" Kitagawa-san spat. "It's just as you all say. We're… our sensei's 'artwork.' Don't misunderstand me though. I offered my ideas to him myself. As such, it can't be called plagiarism. Sensei is simply suffering from artist's block right now."

"Dude,  _ still…" _

Kitagawa-san was sweating and he rubbed his palms on his pants.

"Kitagawa-kun…"

"Then why're you stickin' around?!" Ryuji argued with him. "All his other pupils ran away! Aren't you the only one left?!"

"What's wrong with a pupil helping out his master?! There are no victims here! Stop putting your self-centered righteousness on me!"

"K-Kitagawa-san, are you really okay with this…? Being hurt like this…"

Akira looked at him with those eyes. Those eyes that captured him and squeezed his heart, tore his soul out of his body. His words got caught in his throat at his question. "I'm supporting Sensei as his pupil. Where's the wrong in that? Don't ever come here again… If you do, I'll sue you for causing a disturbance."

Sue them…?

Akira saw it again. The red lights, the sirens, the sinister smirk that was pointed towards him. No… He didn't want to see it again. He covered his ears with his hands at the mention of it and his hands trembled.

"Hold it! We're not done talkin' here!"

"Then you leave me with no choice… Kitagawa-san was pulling out his phone. "I'm reporting you to the police."

Akira bolted up from his seat and held his hands out in desperation. "No no no no no no no no  _ no! _ Please don't—!"

Kitagawa-san shook his head. "I asked you two to come be my model today, but I don't recall ever calling  _ him _ here!"

"What the eff, man?!"

"Ryuji! Stop it!" Ann barked at him. "Calm down, okay?"

Ryuji cussed. "Dammit!"

Kitagawa-san put his phone back into his pocket and he didn't let his shield down. His glare was fierce and cold. "I won't report you… but only under one condition."

"W-what would that be…?" Akira queried hesitantly.

"I want you and Takamaki-san to continue being my model."

"E-eh? Y-you said that it wasn't working out today, though. Are you sure you still want us to model…?"

"That's because I was unconsciously being modest for your sake… However, I have nothing to worry about anymore. If you're willing to bare everything to me…"

"…I will put my heart and soul into creating the  _ best nude painting ever!" _

_ "W-WHAT?!" _ Akira screamed. "N-nude? Nude?! With Ann?! Nude as in being  _ naked?! _ A-as in y-y-your private parts sh-showing?!"

"Ah, to think I'd be able to create a nude painting with my most ideal models!" Kitagawa-san beamed at the thought of it, the distress that blanketed over his face disappeared, but it came back when he looked at Ryuji. "Of course, you won't be allowed in, and I ask that you forget about our discussion today, as well. If I don't submit a new place to Sensei soon, there will be some... inconveniences."

"W-wait, why are things suddenly escalating like that?!  _ Nude?!" _ Ann crossed her arms over her body as if she was being looked at it every single way. Akira's entire face was red, his eyes were watery. He looked like he was going to combust. He couldn't even move anymore. Ann… naked… with Ann… having to be naked with someone looking at him…

"Because those are my terms."

"But  _ that's—!" _

"Wait, ain't that bad?!" Ryuji screamed. He turned to look at Akira. He looked like he was  _ gone _ from this world; unresponsive and dead inside.

"Sensei is out during the afternoon while the art exhibit is on, so I can use this place freely. I should buy more art supplies…" Kitagawa-san turned his head down in thought, calculating all of the costs in his head.

Ann defended her and Akira's innocence and sanity. "Will you give us a second here?!"

"Of course, I'm willing to wait. I'll make time according to your plans. But, please come before the exhibit ends."

"No! That's  _ not _ what I mean!  _ Why are you not listening?!" _

"Sensei will be returning home soon. We're done for today. Kurusu-san, Takamaki-san, I'll be waiting for you to contact me."

_ "No no no! _ We are  _ not _ done talking here!"

It was too late. Kitagawa-san had already turned his back on them, looking at all of his paints and supplies to count up what he needed. Akira was burning up. This was too sudden— too intimate… He was going to  _ die… _

"I-I'm going to  _ die…" _ Akira borderline sobbed.

"No no no no  _ no! _ You aren't dyin' in a  _ shack! _ C'mon, let's leave!  _ Hup!" _ Ryuji lifted Akira into his arm's bridal style. Akira covered his face and screamed into them, shaking his head wildly. Images of Kamoshida flashes through his mind and he desperately peeled them apart by grabbing onto his hair and pulling at his strands. Make it  _ stop.  _ "The hell's the cat?!"

Ann went to open the door, tired and depressed. Nude modeling with Akira… How the hell were they going to escape this? When she slid open the door, blue eyes stared at them. "Huh? Are they done being models? Wait… What happened to Akira?"

"…A cat?" Kitagawa-san turned his head over to the door and saw a mess of black fur. Ryuji cursed and quickly shut the door behind them.

"You  _ moron!" _

"Mraow?!"

✥〈───✟✦✧✦✟───〉✥

"He's totally out of his mind!" Ann screamed. Akira regained the feeling in his legs, but his mind still didn't catch up with him. "I'm gonna have to pose  _ nude _ if this keeps up!"

Akira laughed pathetically. "M-my life… is over…"

Morgana shrieked. "You're already giving up?! How dare that Yusuke…!"

Ryuji stared at the shack and angrily shoved his hands in his pocket. "The way he said it, it's not gonna be semi, but full-on nude…"

"F-fu… F-f-full nudity? Lady Ann's gonna…"

Akira's glasses were back on his face, but his eyes screamed for help. "When I die, eat my ashes…"

_ "You're going that far?! _ C'mon, 'Kira! We can figure a way out. If we steal Madarame's Treasure before then, we don't have to worry about it!" Ryuji reasoned with him.

Ann scrunched her clothing underneath her nails. "But Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes his life to him. Is there a need to make Madarame confess?"

"Then, Lady Ann… you're fine with baring it all?!"

"I am  _ not!" _

"Madarame's no different from Kamoshida. That asshole's usin' Yusuke, who doesn't have parents. You're tellin' me we should just ignore how he's bein' treated horribly like the other pupils?"

"No… It is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun is fine with it himself…"

Morgana slumped on Akira's shoulder. "You can't leave it be because you've endured a lot yourself, with Kamoshida."

"Yeah…"

"Anyways," Ryuji interrupted, "we gotta go after this guy. Madarame's the kind of target we've been waitin' for. Let's help Yusuke come to his senses too… before he ends up like  _ us." _

Ann nodded. "…Right."

"We need to look into Madarame first. Hey, Akira, you doing okay? You back…?"

"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine…" Akira rubbed in between his eyes and slapped the sides of his cheeks. "That was a really weird feeling I just had… Sorry…"

"No need to apologize. The situation is crazy. There might be tons more stuff that hasn't been exposed yet. We should probably dive into his Palace, right?"

"I-it should be good timing to do it since the exhibition is going on. He'll be distracted."

"Also, there's the problem of us  _ modeling!" _ Ann waved her hands. That was the most important thing, to be honest. "Kitagawa-kun said there'd be 'inconveniences' unless he submits a new piece. Maybe that's going to be announced soon as Madarame's next work…"

"Does that mean the whole country's gonna see you guys nude?!"

_ "Nooo! _ I won't let that happen!" Akira screamed. "I'll die before my nude body gets painted and eternalized on a  _ canvas!" _

"I don't wanna die…!" Ann cried.

Morgana thumped his paw onto Akira's cheek to make him snap out of it. "We must deal with Madarame, no matter what, before his exhibit ends!"

"Let's start after school tomorrow. Oh, it'll be a pain if Miss President finds us on the rooftop again, so where to meet up… Let's see…" Ryuji scratched his face and snapped his fingers. "Aha! How about that walkway-like place in Shibuya? It's near Madarame's place, too."

"Changing our hideout periodically, huh? That's a plan I don't mind backing." Morgana's tail curled in delight.

"Then we can meet up—"

"Hey, can I talk to you kids for a sec?"

Akira turned his head around to see a black-haired woman with sunglasses on her head. "U-uh, what is it, Miss?"

"From the looks of things, you don't seem like the ordinary,  _ stalking _ fans."

Ann was hesitant at this woman's approach. "Uh…"

"Oh, sorry. I should've been more clear. I'm actually looking for people that know Madarame's pupils. There's this painting, 'Sayuri,' that was supposedly stolen in the past. But there's this rumor that it was taken by one of his pupils in retaliation for being abused. Have you heard anything about that?"

"R-Ryuji knows!"

_ "Me?! _ I don't know  _ nothing!" _

"I see…" The woman sighed. "There's no case unless there's a victim, and if there's no proof of abuse… I can't write either. Looks like I'm back to square one. Sorry for taking your time."

She walked over to Akira and pulled a card out from her pocket and handed it to Akira. He took it into his hand and read over it. "I'm a journalist. If you ever get  _ any _ leads, mind contacting me here?"

"U-um, yeah, sure, no problem."

"See you then!"

The woman strutted away and took her exit. Akira stared at her from behind and looked at her business card again.  _ "A journalist…?" _

"…I guess we should go home for today," Ryuji told them.

They were  _ not _ excited about the days to come.


	18. Chapter 16: Garden of Malevolence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A request from a former pupil enacts an expedition into the Palace, but they didn't expect to get something more out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a new chapter!!! i went on a hiatus because I have a special project coming up that I wanna share!! it's a 30k long one-shot and I am VERY proud of it.
> 
> you also might've noticed the change in my writing style, and I feel a lot more comfortable writing like this so we're sticking with it!!! thanks for sticking around *finger guns*

"Hey, it's me. Got a minute?" Mishima called him on his phone with a cheery voice, despite the fact that it was nearing 10 PM.

Akira didn't really feel like talking to anybody, but he felt bad if he ignored Mishima. While it was a bit awkward at times to talk to the eccentric and easily excitable boy, Akira could just tell that he was lonely and needed some friends, so he couldn’t help but lend an ear every time he asked for his attention.

"What were you going to say?" Akira asked tiredly. He was in a black tank-top and tan shorts, fresh out of a bath. Akira played around with the bandages on his fingers and slowly started to peel them off. Morgana smacked his hand to stop him and he winced. "Ow!"

"I have some interesting news. Someone who received a change of heart contacted me on the Phan-Site. Said he wants to meet with you to discuss another person who needs a change of heart." 

Akira sat up from his position on his bed and grunted, holding the phone closer to his ear. "Another change of heart? Wait, wait, wait— Why does he want to meet?"

"You're better off talking to him in person if you want specifics. All I know is his target is a  _terrible_ person… And that it might complicate things if he posted the name online. I'll have him wait for you at Shibuya Station after school." 

Akira could already guess who it was. The only other person that they changed the heart of was Nakanohara. Akira tapped the backside of his phone with his fingernails.

"The guy's name is Nakanohara. I told him to approach you. Good luck."

"Thanks for the information, Mishima," Akira said to him before hanging up. Akira stared at his cardboard box filled with clothing. His makeup pouch sat at the very top, recently used.

 _"Should I wear a disguise…?"_ Akira thought to himself before shaking his head, throwing the idea away as soon as he thought of it. _"Yeah, no, I should be fine… I hope…"_

He prayed that Nakanohara wouldn't snitch on him if he met them.

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|8:48 AM|May 9th|**

**Ryuji:** i found out smth insane about madarame

 **Ryuji:** sounds like a student of his offed himself when he couldnt speak up about madarame stealin his work

 **Akira:** i wonder how much of it is true, but to be honest i think i'll beleiev anything.

 **Ann:** the journalist was looking into madarame too

 **Ann:** it could be real

 **Ryuji:** someone died tho

 **Ryuji:** no ones talkin bout it… i bet it was covered up

 **Ann:** i wonder if kitagawa-kun has heard anything…

 **Ann:** itd be great if he could help us out.

 **Ryuji:** aint that asking a bit much??

 **Ryuji:** after today hes prolly gonna be on edge about us

 **Ryuji:** well anyway madarames still a piece of crap!!!

 **Ryuji:** lets meet up tomorrow. it'll be our 1st time meetin at the new hideout

 **Ann:** the passageway in shibuya, right??

 **Akira:** yup!

 **Ann:** got it! see you tomorrow 💟💞👑💫

They all met up in the train station the next day. Akira practically ran down the escalator steps to greet them. "Hey, guys. What are you doing?"

"Yo. Just playing a few games. We're heading out, right?" Ryuji threw him a small peace sign and pocketed his phone.

"Yeah. Were you guys waiting for me?"

"Yeah! I'd feel terrible if I left you behind," Ann told him with a smile, but it fell when she saw a suspicious-looking man hovering over him all of a sudden. Was it _another_ stalker…? "Who's that?"

"Huh?" Akira looked behind himself and saw the man awkwardly standing there. The stranger cleared his throat. 

"Excuse me…"

Morgana quickly explained to Ann and Ryuji about why this person was here. They were both reasonably on edge and the same was with Akira, but they wouldn't be able to get anywhere without information.

"…My name is Nakanohara. Nakanohara Natsuhiko, the one who was posted about on the Phantom Aficionado Website."

"Hs seems pretty nice. Doesn't seem like the stalker type," Ann whispered. "I think the change of heart must have worked."

"The administrator of that website contacted me… They told me to look for someone in a Shujin uniform with a cat…"

"So?" Ryuji questioned. "Whaddya want?"

"You may have already heard, but there's someone I wish to trigger a change of heart in… An artist by the name of Madarame."

Ryuji whispered to the four of them. "Ooh, you think this is it? Is the pupil gonna confess his master's secrets?"

“His Shadow _did_ mention Madarame as well…" Morgana muttered.

"I'm… one of Madarame's former pupils. He gave me lodging at his home, where I thought only about art. I genuinely wanted to be an artist… There was another pupil as well. A very talented man, multiple years my senior. _Obviously,_ Madarame kept tabs on him. Everything he made was claimed as a Madarame original," Nakanohara explained. "He wasn't the _only_ victim though…"

Ryuji nodded. "All right, we got some real proof of the plagiarism."

"In response to Madarame's actions…" Nakanohara shut his eyes closed in regret, "that senior pupil committed suicide."

"Suicide…" Ann whispered to herself, clearly troubled.

"He must have been unable to bear seeing his work praised under Madarame's name." Nakanohara squeezed his hands into fists. "That was when I disobeyed Madarame's order and left… But he quickly pressured other parts of the art world, and my life as a painter was destroyed. I tried to turn over a new leaf working at a ward office… but it was no use. My attachment to art warped my emotions. Soon I began getting attached to everything… In the end, I even turned into a stalker… Ha… Haha…"

Nakanohara looked like he would've gotten onto his knees to beg if he had to. "…I'd like to ask again. Please, make Madarame have a change of heart. Not only for me. It's… to save the life of another man as well."

Akira nodded and hesitantly asked him a question. "I think I know who you're talking about, but would you mind explaining further?"

"Even now, there is still one young man remaining under Madarame's tutelage. I think he's about your age."

"Yusuke, huh?" Morgana murmured quietly in his ear. Akira nodded and let the man continue.

"Not only is he a talented artist, he also owes Madarame for taking him in after his mother passed… He is the perfect target."

"So Yusuke's got no choice but to listen!" Ryuji grumbled.

Nakanohara grimaced at the thought of it. That young boy had no power there and he couldn't do anything. "I actually spoke to him a few times, back when I was still living at Madarame's. I asked him if he found it painful to stay with Madarame… and do you know what he said? 'If I could leave, I would…'"

"Kitagawa-san…" Akira thought back to his face. He always seemed so calm and rational, but Akira knew there was pain lying beneath that expression. Yusuke had just gotten too good at hiding it.

"I have no right to say this given my prior cowardice, but I don't want to see another suicide!" Nakanohara pleaded with them out of desperation. Akira couldn't say no and even if he could, he _wouldn't_ say no to his request. "I'd like to find a way to save this young man. He has a bright future ahead of him… Please consider that when thinking about changing Madarame's heart."

He left after giving all of his knowledge and past experiences about the person he used to call Sensei. Akira didn't know how to feel knowing that Nakanohara-san's pain had gotten so unbearable that his desires distorted him into the grotesque shadow they had all seen in Mementos.

"We've been asked to act directly on behalf of one of Madarame's victims. It sounds like we don’t have time to deliberate whether or not to change Madarame's heart." Morgana was right. Now they couldn't put it aside.

Akira nodded. "We were asked to do something, we shouldn't turn our back on them."

Ryuji ground his teeth together and added a healthy dose of snark to his words. Whenever Ryuji spoke with venom, it was always for a good reason. "Hell yeah! Madarame's just a piece of shit who preys on the weak!"

"Suicide… I'll never let something like that happen!" Ann promised herself. "Plus, we finally got to hear how Kitagawa-kun really feels!"

Morgana smilled, satisfied with their gung-ho answers. "Well, since we've reached a unanimous decision, how about we continue this at our new hideout?"

The expressway wasn't that packed, but there were enough people to make it look like they blended it. Just a group of teenagers loitering around a public area and hanging out after school— nothing suspicious.

"My fellow thieves, welcome to our new hideout! Our target this time is Madarame! We all saw that Palace. We'll pay dearly if we assume it's just going to be like the last one. And furthermore… Akira and Lady Ann's chastity is on the line!"

 _"What?!"_ They both said at the same time.

"We need to do what we did with Kamoshida. First, we secure an infiltration route in the Palace. After that, we send our calling card. Once the Treasure has materialized, we steal it."

"Ooh, ooh, I got a question! Madarame doesn't know that we were doin' stuff in the Palace yet. Why are we already gettin' treated like criminals in there?"

"You're _learning,_ Ryuji. Well done," Morgana complimented. "It must be because he doesn't trust _anyone._ Any unknown person may as well be an enemy."

Ann scoffed. "Or maybe he's just super salty from all those rumors that have been spreading about him…"

Ryuji was in disbelief at Morgana's answer. That golden museum was _weird._ "Then his Palace bein' so crazy had _nothing_ to do with us?"

"Either way, we should stay on our best behavior. It'll be harder for us to steal the Treasure if we needlessly increase the security level."

"We need to be careful of Kitagawa-kun this time too. I'm sure that whatever he sees will just get passed on to Madarame." Ann crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she leaned towards Morgana. Morgana twitched his nose and looked up at her. Akira didn't know that cats could blush, because it looked like his feline companion was swooning. "Hey, what is Madarame's Treasure going to look like anyway? Another crown?"

"I'd doubt that. But my sixth sense will know when I see it."

"Oh yeah, you go completely nuts, huh?" Ryuji recalled the last time they went after the Treasure. Morgana was drooling over the heaviest and largest crown they had ever seen. For good reason too, but they were on a time crunch.

"Our time limit is when the exhibit ends. So that should mean…" Akira counted out the days on his fingers. "…June 5th I believe?"

"We'll carry out the plan after we've sent out the calling card. So, our infiltration route will need to be set in stone two days prior, on June 2nd."

"Now listen here. We can't mess this up, NO MATTER WHAT! OKAY?! ME AND AKIRA NEED TO PRESERVE OUR CHASTITY!" Ann yelled at them.

Akira covered his body protectively. He would never go nude for the sake of the country… Never _ever…_

* * *

They walked into Madarame's Palace and stretched out their limbs in preparation for their infiltration for today. Akira tightened his red gloves on his small hands and looked up to the golden museum. He'd never get used to this.

"Huh…?" A blue door shined at the entrance. Akira quickly slinked away inside of the door.

Blue filled his vision and the familiar grasp of metal chains dragged him down. It made him feel sluggish and tired.

"It seems you've gotten used to coming here. You must surely be accustomed to infiltrating Palaces by now?" Igor asked him.

"Somewhat."

"Regardless, you have yet to obtain a truly acceptable number of Personas. This is not the full potential of the power of the wild card." Igor hummed. "Hm, I suppose this is a prime opportunity to help further your rehabilitation along. Don't worry… This assignment is not mandatory. Think of it almost as a test of strength."

"An assignment…?"

"We will have you bring us the mask we specify," Justine informed him.

Caroline tapped her foot on the cold ground. "You just gotta show us the Persona we ask for!"

"First off… we would like for you to bring us a Jack Frost."

"That's too easy, Justine! It should be a challenge," Caroline blathered. "Hmmm… I want it to have Mabufu too! You got that, Inmate? Bring us a Jack Frost with Mabufu."

"Very well. We ask for a Jack Frost with Mabufu."

"A-ah, I seems I'm in luck… I have just that."

"Wait, you do…? Sit right there! Quickly, Inmate!!" 

"O-okay…" Akira sat down on the hard floor per Caroline's request. She inspected Akira's face intently.

"That was rather unexpected, but it's what we requested," Justine acknowledged.

Caroline crossed her arms and accepted that he also had the Persona, but she still had that fiery attitude. "Hmph… Fine, I'll take it. By the way, your Personas are _super_ weak— not that I'm surprised, Inmate. Though, I guess you deserve at least _some_ praise for _conveniently_ having the Persons to finish your penal labor. You might actually complete your rehabilitation…"

"In order to promote that process, we would like to offer you the use of a new facility." Justine had this serene look on her face. It was like she was a proud mother watching her child grow up. Caroline laughed and teased her when she noticed her sister's soft expression.

"Hmph. It's rare to see you smile, Justine."

 _"You_ are the smiling one, Caroline. Did something happen to make you so joyful?"

"Me?"

Akira chortled and covered his mouth, turning his face away from the two to hide his expression. Caroline turned away from her sister and glared at him. "Hey, are you laughing at us?!"

"S-sorry! You guys have cute smiles."

"K-know your place, Inmate!" Caroline shouted and hid the crack in her voice by slamming on the bars viciously. Akira cleared his throat and reverted back to his straight face.

Justine tried to reassure them they didn't feel much for him, but her slightly embarrassed aura permeated the jail cell he was residing in. "As wardens, we simply feel satisfaction in seeing your rehabilitation progress… That is the extent of it. I find it upsetting that you would see such a matter as a source of entertainment."

"It's like you forget where you are, _Inmate._ You've got some real guts though! With that spirit, you should have no trouble making progress."

 _"I think it's impossible for me to forget where I am with two white-haired children bashing me…"_ Akira thought and sighed out a response. "I'll do my best…"

"Very well then." Justine nodded and shifted her clipboard to be in front of her. "If you have the will to continue your penal labor, we can grant you greater freedom within this prison. It is a deal between us, the wardens, and you, the inmate."

"Not like you have the right to turn it down, though! Hard work is what you're meant to do, _Inmate!"_

"I-I'll work hard for you two…" Akira mumbled.

**_I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow._ **

**_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity._ **

**_With the birth of the Strength Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_ **

A card floated in between the two twins. He had nine confidants now.

"Now, it's time for your next task!" Caroline slammed her baton on the bars. "Bring us an Ame-no-Uzume with Frei!"

"Please come talk to us again once you have it."

Akira closed his eyes and saw the jail cell open in his mind before he replied, "I will. I'll see you guys soon."

* * *

"Joker…? Joker?"

"H-huh? Oh, I'm fine! We're here to secure an infiltration route! Let's get going." Akira looked at Ann's mask, her tight suit pushing up on her lean body. Akira forced himself to not look at her chest area, which was harder than it seemed. This has _never_ happened before and he usually didn't look at people that way. _"This is all because of the nude modeling that Kitagawa-san talked about…"_

They made their way inside, expecting to breeze past all of the sections they were in before, but they got stuck as soon as they went down the rope.

"An infrared laser…? This wasn't here last time… Did they _just_ put it in?" Akira leaned down and inspected the lasers. The one at the bottom was deactivated.

"The rumors might slowly be making Madarame become more wary of us…" Morgana muttered.

"You guys are good at sliding, right?" Akira asked them. He didn't wait for a response because he already ran back and slid through the small gap underneath the lasers. Ryuji and Ann groaned, but they managed to make it past the door only to realize that there were lasers _everywhere._

They managed to kick the crap out of the few guards lurking around the area. It used to be so quiet before, but now it was filled with the sounds of shouts and gunshots. He held a new Persona in his heart named Hua Po. She had a similar essence to Pixie, but she was a lot more flirty with her actions. He didn't know how she would affect his mindset after this Palace run.

"Hey, Joker?" Ryuji whispered.

"Hm?"

"Are we gonna do the entire Palace in one go again?"

"Wha— O-of course not!"

"Eehhhh…?"

"Wait, don't tell me you _actually_ want to do the entire thing in one day…" Morgana cringed.

"Well I, uh— I mean, it feels kinda satisfyin' when we do it all in a day… Makes me feel accomplished. _And_ it doesn't make me stress about the due date."

Ann nodded and stared at a guard just beyond the wall they were hiding behind. "Yeah, I feel that. It makes your adrenaline kick in!"

"Are you guys adrenaline junkies…?"

"I don't _think_ they're adrenaline junkies, Monamona… They _are_ adrenaline junkies. _"_

"Hey, that's really mean when it comes from your mouth, Joker!" Ann pouted. "Should we do it in one go?"

"I-I mean, I'm okay with it if you guys are okay with it…"

Morgana scoffed. "Is it tradition to put ourselves through _pain?_ Our SP and HP is going to be low as hell if we do that!"

"We'll just chug down some medicine, no problem!" Ryuji patted Morgana's pack. He groaned in defeat.

"All right then… Hey, when are we going to take down that Shadow?"

"Now."

Akira jumped onto the guard and yanked its mask off. He jumped onto the ground and held his knife in his hand. A water spirit and a few Mokoi's surrounded her.

"Garu!" Pixie laughed at his command and sliced through the Mokoi. "Mona, you're up!"

Morgana took down the other one quickly, knocking it down to its feet. The water spirit in the middle growled and chased after Ryuji. Ryuji and quickly shocked her entire being. She screamed and fell to the ground.

"Wait, wait! Please don't hurt me! I promise to not tell Madarame-sama!"

"I'll spare your life if you join my side." Akira offered her. The girl scoffed in disbelief at his request.

"That's _such_ an idiotic request… but I guess I'll indulge in what you wish for. I can't just _join_ you though. I certainly hope you have a good reason for this boorish treatment."

"I feel that would take a while…" Akira muttered. Telling a Shadow that he needed to beat the living crap out of it to eventually get them on their side was a hard topic to bring up…

"Oh, is that so? Well, it can't be helped. Some things take too much time. But in any case, I refuse to lend my power unless we're on equal footing. Tell me, what do you think that means?"

"Not talking down to you. We're on the same plane, we shouldn't be doing that."

"That's right! Your words should be as kind as your actions. That's how I think as we— Oh!"

She seemed to have realized herself. "I'm sorry, I remember now… In truth, I am not a Shadow. I originated from the humans' sea of souls… My true name… is Apsaras. Henceforth, I am thou."

And she became one with his mask. Now that he realized it, all of the Personas in his mask were either creatures or beautiful women. Akira laughed at his pickings, but he wouldn't complain about it… They all helped and supported him.

They finally ended up at the statue that Madarame had funded with flags of his face hanging from the ceiling. Ann looked at the statue again in hatred. "We'll be in unknown territory once we go past here, right?"

"The security will probably get a little more fierce as well." Morgana walked around the statue. "Make sure you don't touch anything or run into any of the displays, all right?"

"…What're you lookin' at me for?"

The amount of lasers in the museum made Akira's head hurt. How on guard was Madarame right now? Akira worried for Yusuke's safety because Madarame seemed _really_ unstable right now.

* * *

Akira may or may not have picked a fight that would end it all.

"Level eighteen?!" Ryuji screamed. "Hold on, how much health does this dude have?!"

"N-no idea, but we have to beat him up!" Akira pointed his gun at the Shadow and fired off a shot. It swallowed it up like it was nothing.

"!?!?"

"He's resistant to it! I'll show you amateurs how it's done! _Zorro!"_ Zorro came out with a puffed out chest and straight posture. A strong whip of his sword and the wind pierced through the Shadow. It didn't do as much damage as he wanted it to, though.

Ryuji followed up with a bolt of lightning. It surged through his fingertips when Captain Kidd let it loose. Ann's burst of fire melted part of it away, but it barely did a dent on him. Akira was the only one that didn't do _any_ damage.

Akira winced when the Shadow retaliated, sending two strong shots through his body. It was his punishment for not doing anything. Akira toppled onto the floor and held a hand to his torso. It was leaking blood, creating a pool around his feet. He heard the others cry out in concern for him and he shakily called back to them. "I'm… I'm okay! _Bufu!"_

It hit this time. Akira sighed in relief. Morgana ran up with his cutlass and rammed it into the Shadow, but it got stuck inside its body. It was useless. Morgana saw it's long arm about to swat him off like a fly, but he pulled his sword out before he could be hit. "Dammit! He's strong…"

"There's gotta be—" Ryuji grunted and slammed a bolt of lightning through its system, "something we can do!" The Shadow convulsed from the shock of it, but he knew it wouldn't last long.

"Carmen, _Dormina!"_ The Shadow fell asleep when it was captured by Ann's magic. Akira sighed in relief when it hit and threw out a gust of wind. It looked like it didn't have any weak points, so they needed to keep pulling off technicals to put it down.

Time after time, they slammed it down by putting it to sleep and then burning through it with their Personas. Akira screamed in victory when they finally took him down. "All right, somebody heal me or I'm going down in the next battle…"

"Here you go. _Dia."_ Ann held her hands over the two holes in Akira's torso and patched it up. Akira sighed in relief when he felt his clothing and wounds mending.

He got a few more Persona in his lineup as they made their way up to the second floor. The more they progressed, the worse Akira felt.

They saw a golden vase on a pedestal in a quiet room and Akira walked right past it. It was too obvious, and he wasn't going to touch it.

"H-hey, wait a second! You're just gonna ignore that golden sheen?" Morgana pointed. "Mmmm… Look at that luster… I know it might be tough to take with us, but don't you think it'd sell for tons?"

"Monamona, I don't think we should touch it—"

It was too late. Morgana already had his grubby paws on the sparkling vase. Morgana had tripped something and Akira groaned, quickly flipping out of the way asinfrared lasers surrounded the rest of the thieves.

"Monamona, I told you not to touch it!" He scolded.

"S-sorry, Joker! Gah, I tripped the security…"

"And _you_ were the one makin' us be careful too… So, whaddya wanna do? Run outta here?"

 _"No,_ passing through all of these lasers will draw far too many enemies to our location!" Morgana told Ryuji.

"Oh, hold on! Joker's not trapped! When did you get out?" Ann asked him.

"I flipped out of there as soon as Monamona touched it. I-I'll find a way to turn off the lasers, do _not_ move or I'm making you do laps in Mementos," Akira instructed them.

"Joker is so nice when he's in reality but when he's here he's so harsh…" Ryuji mumbled.

"I-I'm the one getting you out! No backtalk!"

Akira ran along the beams above and knocked out a guard by himself (he took a few hits and it hurt). He managed to flip a switch and one of the walls blocking Ann in the lasers opened up. She cheered in delight. "Yes! Thanks! Now we need to get Skull and Mona out!"

Ann and Akira made a great duo together as they fought their way through another guard. 

"Panther, do your thing!"

"Gladly!" She incinerated her enemies into a crisp. Akira was glad that they didn't really burn because his nose would get clogged up by now. Ann was so strong it sort of terrified him.

"Hey, isn't there some space behind this painting, Joker?"

"Huh, there is… Can you help me move it?" Akira grabbed one end of the painting and Ann grabbed the other. They tossed the painting to the side and it revealed a switch.

"I didn't really expect for them to hide the switch behind a heavy painting… Come on, let's get Skull out." Ann flipped the switch and the wall came down.

Ryuji stretched his arms out and rejoined with them. "Nice job! We just need to get Mona out, but… how the hell're we gonna do that? He's in the center."

"There has to be a control room for the lasers! I don't know if it's nearby though…!" Morgana yelled to them. He balanced himself on the pedestal and tried to not push the vase over.

"…We just gotta trust him. C'mon, let's try lookin' for it!" Ryuji encouraged them. They nodded and wandered around the area, making twists and turns to find where the control room could be. They ended up going through a vent. 

There it was, a control room. They all hopped down and gathered around the sole computer that was actually turned on.

"The control terminal needs a password…" Akira grimaced. "We should get it off of one of the guards around here."

"I hope they're willin' to chat."

"Or we could just eavesdrop…?"

"Yeah, that too." Ryuji nodded. Ann sighed and opened the door in the control room and held in her gasp of surprise when she saw two guards talking with each other. They rushed to hide behind a nearby wall, and peeked out to see what they were doing.

"Hey, did you hear about those intruders?"

"Yeah, you mean the thieves sneaking around in here? I got a call telling me to change the password, just in case."

"And? What did you change it to?"

_"Please say the password like an idiot, please say the password like an idiot—"_

"Hello."

"…Huh?" Both Akira and the guard said it at the same time. _That's_ the password? Hello?

"I said, hello! 07734. If you read the numbers upside-down, they spell out the word hello."

"…Isn't that a little childish?"

"Eh, it should be fine as long as nobody else finds out. It's not like anyone's eavesdropping on us. Anyway, don't forget: when you see the code input, be sure to say hello."

"T-they're getting fired…" Akira whispered to his friends.

"Not unless we kill them first…" Ryuji snorted. Ryuji was right: they wouldn't get fired if they died first.

They took one of the guards out with unparalleled elegance and barely broke a sweat. Afterwards, they went to the terminal and said 'hello' to it.

"Looks like it worked!" Ann smiled. She saw the lasers on the other side of the window go down.

"Now let's get that stupid cat out of there and get movin'!"

They ran up to Morgana, his ears pressed against his head. His tail had pointed straight down, looking guilty as ever. "I-I'm sorry… That was very much unlike me…"

"Sheesh… Weren't you the one tellin' us not to go around touchin' shit in the exhibit?"

"Urgh, that _is_ true… I can't believe I made such a novice mistake, even for solid gold… But something was drawing me to this vase…"

"What do you mean…? Isn't it just an ordinary gold vase?" Ann questioned. "I wonder if there's something special about it. Should we take a closer look just in case?"

"I-I mean… As long as we don't trip the security again…?" Akira walked up to the golden vase and snatched it from its pedestal. It turned into golden dust, but nothing was in his hand. "Huh? WHA— HAH?!"

A big floating gem appeared in front of him. It was a dark purplish-red and it levitated and spun.

Ann stared at the gem and flinched. "What is this?!"

"Oh, I see… So that's why I was drawn to it! Joker, catch it!"

"What?! Why?!"

"I'll explain the rest of this later. Just get after it and attack!" Akira groaned and slammed his hand onto it. It was a Shadow he hadn't seen before. It was a see-through ghost-like Shadow that hovered above it's precious gem. Akira had the instinct that they just needed to do _damage._ Any damage would be fine.

Akira shot it multiple times, even though it was pretty resistant. It did a lot more damage than if he were to use Agi or Bufu. The rest of them kept shooting until their ammo was gone and then decided to beat the living crap out of it. It was resilient and it didn't attack them, so it made Akira feel a bit guilty. It was like stabbing something that didn't do anything to hurt them… But it didn't really matter when they beat it.

 _So much experience._ It was barfing up gold like it was a charity.

"What was that…?" Ann wondered.

"That, Panther, was a rare Shadow that occasionally resides in pricey items. I call them Treasure Demons. They're great. Not only do they give you a lot of experience, they might be useful for your Personas too. However, they run very fast, and attacks don't deal very much damage to them."

"Y-yeah, it was really resistant. My pockets are going to be full of money when we're out of here…" Akira said. The Shadows actually dropped a lot of money, but they always split up the cash equally. It wouldn't do good for them to split it up based on who did the most work: _all_ of them did the most work. It was a true team effort.

They all rested up in a safe room. Ryuji gurgled and leaned down in his chair, pushing his mask off of his face. "Dude, I'm passin' out for thirty minutes…"

"Nap time?" Akira asked.

They all groaned out and curled into their chairs. "Nap time…"

Akira couldn't sleep. He didn't feel tired because of the adrenaline circling through his blood, but he didn't know why it was there. It was just a normal day in the Metaverse beating up Shadows and walking around with his best friends. Why did it feel _different?_

He looked at their sleeping figures, listless and calm. They were completely vulnerable to him. Akira frowned. How could they be so carefree and happy like that in a situation like this? Then again, it also made him feel happy to know that they were all comfortable with each other.

Akira pulled out Leblanc's coffee, something that he made himself. There were multiple pots that were labelled with a sticky note, saying what blend it was and the day it was made. Luckily, goods in the Metaverse never expired or lost their heat that they had when it was shoved into the pocket dimension. This might actually be an effective way to carry food anywhere, as long as he hops in the Metaverse and out of it quickly and quietly…

Ryuji groaned and pushed his face off of the office table in front of him. "How much time… has it been?"

"Thirty minutes. Y-your internal clock is amazing, Skull…!" Akira pushed a cup of coffee to Ryuji. He scrunched his face up and sniffed it. "How… how bitter is it?"

"P-please don't tell me you hate coffee…"

"I'll drink it, I'll drink it…" Ryuji swallowed his saliva and downed it in one gulp. He blew raspberries and spat, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. Akira quickly pushed him a bottle of water and he frantically opened it up and chugged it down. "Gah! I hate coffee…"

"Sorry, was it not good…?" Akira asked him.

"No, no! It probably tastes good to other people, but I just can't handle any coffee…"

"What's this about coffee…?" Ann pushed herself from the green couch at the back of the safe room. She brushed a piece of hair stuck to her face and waddled tiredly to the table. Akira was still unsure at how she wasn't falling down in her heels.

Akira slowly pushed her a cup and she picked it up and took a sip. "This tastes pretty good. Did you make this?"

"Y-yeah, I've been making coffee recently… It'd be weird if I didn't try at least once; since I live in a café."

"…Did this recover some of my SP…?" Ann thought when she took a few more sips. It was recovering a _lot_ of it.

"Huh? SP? Something about SP…?" Morgana's head whipped up from the table's surface and he looked around hazily. Akira passed another cup of coffee to Morgana and he used both of his paws to drink it.

They all drank coffee and relaxed before heading outside. Ryuji chugged it all in one go to just get it over and done with, and then he drank all of his water bottle. Akira had a feeling Ryuji was going to need to use the restroom after this…

They jumped up a wall that led into another area, but there was a large hole inside of the museum. Above it was a large plank and a guard on the other side of it. _"What the…?"_

"The hell?! How're we supposed to get past this huge hole in the—"

"Calm down," Morgana said to Ryuji. "Look at where the security guard is walking."

The guard walked over the hole. He didn't fall in— he didn't even walk on the plank. He just walked right on top of the chasm. 

_"Oh, it was a painting…"_

"What the… It's a painting…?" Ann breathed out in awe. "I guess this really is a museum…"

"Let's hurry and take out that guard," Ryuji took the lead and sprinted for the guard. He jumped onto its back and put his hands on its mask. "Man, I haven't done this before!" He tore its heart-shaped make straight off of its face and kicked the guard to the ground. Its body slammed hard onto the floor, groaning and growling as it got back onto its feet. It was pure brutal force unlike Akira's elegant flips, but Akira liked that about Ryuji. He didn't care about what others thought of him.

"Hey, what the hell was that?!" Hua Po screamed at him when the shadows escaped from her masked form. She was pissed, blood dripping down her forehead from the impact she made with the floor. There were also these two lion creatures that snarled at them as she insulted them again. "Brute!"

"Oh who the hell _cares…!"_ Ryuji aimed his shotgun and shot them down. The bullets pierced through their fragile wings and they collapsed onto the ground in pain.

"Agh—! What a rude way to treat a girl!"

"Is it rude if I do it?" Ann grinned sinisterly and looked to the two other Shadows kicking their back legs up territorially. The Shadows were lions that _actually_ were more like dogs. Their appearances look like the statues that sit on pedestals of shrines and roofs.

Ann stretched out her whip and slammed it down on one of the lions. It was so quick and fast that Akira couldn't register the long cord piercing through its body and coming back to her side in two seconds.

Akira was still stunned and held his hand up to his mask and stuttered. "J-Jack Frost!"

The creature came over to his side and giggled, letting out a piece of fire that contradicted his name. The bolt of hellfire consumed its body, gnawing and eating up its existence until the Shadow fell flat onto the ground.

Ryuji grinned and motioned for all of them to go in on them. Morgana groaned and followed up with a quick slash through all of the Shadows. They slashed and kicked at them until there was nothing left but blood and a neat stack of money on the ground.

Ryuji picked the stack off of the ground and grinned. "Hey, this is a pretty good amount! I didn't expect for them to have this much money…" He put the stack into the pocket space to be sorted out evenly later.

"Skull, don't you think that was a bit brutal…?" Ann mumbled to him and slowly put her weapons away. Ryuji scoffed and threw his arms behind his head. He yawned carelessly and leaned down to pick up a stray coin off the ground, tossing it into the sky before catching it in his hand. It was drenched in blood.

"So your sayin' we should spare them now _after_ we've killed so many of 'em already?"

"N-no that was just…" Akira stared at the painting on the ground covered. It looked like the grim reaper took a visit. "That's a _lot_ of blood…"

The pool of blood beneath their feets shriveled up. Their clothing repaired itself and cleaned off all of the blood staining them.

"It's just how phantom thieves like us do it. We're brutal but with _style."_ Morgana crossed his arms pridefully and smirked. "It's debatable if the last part sticks with Skull, though."

Ryuji barked at him. _"Hey!"_

Ann rolled her eyes and walked from the now vicious back to back argument. Ann put a hand on Akira's upper arm and dragged him away from the unnecessary bickering. Akira looked back nervously at the pair.

They came across the bathrooms. Akira stood in front of the women's restroom and swallowed his saliva, pointing to Ann. She swished her head to look at him when he gestured. "I-I'm not going in, check it please…"

"R-right, right…" Ann nodded her head and stepped into the frame of the bathroom. She disappeared into the hall before coming back out and saying, "You three check the boy's restroom."

"C'mon, let's go." Ryuji nudged him on the shoulder and they both raided their individual bathrooms. It was like any other bathroom he had been in, but it just seemed so _wrong._

Akira scratched his head and snatched an oddly placed statue inside the bathroom. He quickly pocketed what was inside and headed outside of the door. Ann was already waiting outside for them. She swished what she got in front of them before it went up in blue flames and cradled itself in their pocket dimension.

"…Why is there even a bathroom? I didn't expect a bathroom to exist in cognition…" Akira muttered while they walked away from the bathrooms and pressed themselves against the walls.

"I don't have the answer for that. It might mean that Madarame cares for his supporters and fans if it brings in more popularity," Morgana whispered while he peeked his head around the corner and dashed to the next safe spot. He waved his hand for Ann to follow him. She followed and mumbled to the feline as she dashed through.

"Still, _bathrooms?_ I didn't expect that at all…"

Ryuji ran into the next room and stretched his arms. His shoulders were getting sore from all of the bashing he's been doing. He didn't see any guards so he waltzed in happily. "Well, I guess this place is really unexpec— Oh come the _hell_ on…"

Large poles sprouted out behind them and covered the door. As quick as they appeared, fissures of red light were connected between the two rods. Ryuji cringed and flinched at the sound of an angry voice yelling through the speaker.

"Intruders in the Second Exhibition Room! Apprehend them at once!" 

Puddles of red and black emerged from the ground, arising like a phoenix with stern looks. Guards crowded every inch of the room they were in and kept their eyes peeled for them.

Ann snorted but spoke in a quieter tone. "Yeah. _Unexpected."_

"Shuddup…"

"Right now isn't really the time to be joking around…" Akira whispered to them. "There has to be a switch or a way to get out of here…"

They jumped from cover to cover in search of an exit. While they were in the covers, Akira eyed one of the guards. They were oblivious to the fact that they were even there.

Ann recognized the focused look in Akira's eyes and prepared her whip. Akira did what she expected to do.

Akira dashed out of the covers and ripped off its mask.

Akira went to his mask as soon as he had the chance and ripped it off of his face. "Eiha!"

It was so quick that it was blinding. Akira didn't realize that they had gotten this strong so fast, but they really _had._ He kept hitting them where it hurts, sending in Eihas one after another until they were all down.

It was done before Akira could even break a sweat. He picked up the few coins on the ground before going back into hiding. They needed to be fast or else they'd get caught.

"It's scary at how good we've gotten…" Ryuji shuddered. "I'm sorta scared of my own strength now."

"I don't think we should be scared of it. It _is_ the only thing that's protecting us right now," Akira told him, counting the money in his hands before putting it away. "But you _are_ right. We should be careful with how we use it."

"Huh, you didn't stutter."

"I-I didn't?"

"And as _soon_ as you mention it he stutters, Skull." Ann lightly slapped his shoulder. "It's nice to see you changing, Joker. You're being a lot more open with us! First step in the right direction!"

"More like the first step into _hell._ It's going to get trickier from now on. Don't lose your core beliefs," Morgana muttered to him. "Hey, don't you think we can jump up this?"

It was a green container of sorts that led up on top of one of the pillars. Akira wasn't the most athletic or tall, but he managed to pull himself over and survey the area.

Ryuji noticed that Akira didn't talk about what he was thinking about until he was already doing it. Maybe it's because Ryuji always wears his heart on his sleeve, but Akira is usually quiet when it comes to his feelings.

Akira latched onto a hook from far away and flung himself with his grappling hook. He had a bit of a rough landing since he wasn't quite used to it yet, but he managed to get over unscathed.

"It looks like the buttons you used to get us outta the lasers last time," Ryuji hovered over Akira shoulder and held his fist over the protruding circle. "I'm pressin' it."

They felt the room shake and Morgana stared at one of the doorways and watched the rods retract itself into the ground. "The lasers are off! We can finally get out and move forward…"

"Hurry up! I want to leave this place already!" Ann hopped down and her heels clacked loudly against the floor. Ryuji and Morgana jumped down seamlessly, but Akira sat at the edge before pushing himself off.

When he landed on the ground and they started heading up a wide flight of stairs, Morgana asked him a question. "Are you scared of heights?"

"U-um, sort of? To a certain degree. I'm just wary of them, not necessarily _scared_ of them," Akira told him.

Ryuji continued off of Morgana. "In other words, you're scared of 'em."

"N-no I am not!"

"Disagreeing so hard means that you're actually scared of heights," Ann chuckled. Akira groaned because he knew she was right, he just didn't want to admit it. "We're all scared of _something._ Nothing to be ashamed—"

"Shh!" Morgana hissed. He dodged into a corner and they all blended in with the shadows of the wall. Morgana peeked his head and set his eyes on a guard with a frighteningly red aura. "It's a strong one…"

"I'm still tryna to get used to the fact that I can see things like this now… It's weird," Ryuji mumbled.

"Same here, Skull. I'm still getting used to it. Even though I've gotten better at it, it still feels awkward…" Ann hid in another corner and stared at the guard in front of her. "Skull had his turn to do this… It's _mine_ now!"

Ann quickly leapt from the podium that kept her covered and leapt onto the guard's back. She wrapped her legs around their neck, squeezed her thighs tight, ripped off their mask, and fell backwards with her legs still wrapped around their neck.

Her hands touched the ground and slammed the guard's head down onto it. She protected herself from getting injured when she pulled off of it. She dusted her hands off and grinned. "Wow, I didn't think I could pull that off!"

"Panther, that was _brutal…"_ Akira watched the Shadow on the ground contort and crack before it's form rose up. A 'bringer of misfortune' is what he would call it since it didn't have any weaknesses that he knew of.

 _"Persona!"_ Akira shouted and Mokoi wriggled his body, sending a bright spark straight to the Shadow's face. They were completely dazed.

It was a repeated process of putting it to sleep or dazing it and attacking while it was down, but they soon ran into a… _complication._

"Skull?!" Ann yelped. Ryuji wasn't in the right state of mind and screamed, slamming his weapon into the Shadow. The Shadow smirked when Ryuji tried to attack him like that, the weapon reverberating off of his body. 

Ryuji had a status effect.

"YOU SON OF A _BITCH!_ I'LL KILL YOU!" Ryuji screamed, his spit flying as he kept attacking and attacking, but it did nothing.

Morgana ignored Ryuji and dodged two heavy bullets that were aimed at him. Morgana slid on the carpet below him and hissed. "He's enraged, he won't listen to anything we say! Luckily he knows that we aren't his foe, but Skull is essentially out of the battle until he regains his senses!"

"Dammit! All right, we'll just have to pull through…!" Ann rose her hand to her mask. She was sweating underneath all of her clothing. _"Carmen!"_

"Skull, snap out of it!" Akira yelled at him and slapped the top of his head as hard as he could. Ryuji choked at the sudden impact on his head. When he realized what was happening, he jolted his head up and looked at the Shadow.

"S-shit, sorry about that!"

"You can apologize by beating the absolute crap out of him for me— I put him asleep, he's all yours!" Ann told him. Ryuji tore his mask off and cackled.

"I guess being enraged _does_ have its perks… 'cause I really _am_ pissed right now! _Captain Kidd!"_ The lightning coursed through the Shadows veins and paralyzed it. Ryuji was already running with his iron mace out. "Go, go, go!"

It dissolved shortly after. The blood of their clothing splattered onto them, but it started to disappear from their clothing a few seconds later.

"Man, I hate runnin' into that Shadow… Pisses me off 'cause it isn't easy to beat like the others…" Ryuji groaned.

Morgana teased him and crossed his arms, flicking his tail and speaking with a cocky tone. "Maybe it's only because you got inflicted with a status effect? Next time, try to dodge it."

"Shut it…! _"_

"Get along! I'm not going to be beating up Shadows with two bickering kids… _"_ Ann groaned and walked over to a button with a bright red light over it and pushed it. The light turned blue and the bars covering the doors were lifted up. "Jeez, somebody needs to teach you guys manners… Like Akira. Akira is a gentleman!"

"B-but Panther! I'm _also_ a gentleman! It's just that Skull brings out the worst in me…"

"More like _you_ bring out the worst in _everyone—"_

"You guys need to settle down," Akira sighed at Ryuji and Morgana's non-stop bickering. "I'm grappling up, everyone get ready to head over to me!"

They ran into one of Madarame's Will Seeds. Akira sawed off the rope that surrounded the door and listened to the reverberations of Madarame's voice. It wasn't kind in the slightest.

He took out the seed and held it in his hands, observing it carefully. "It's the first Will Seed we've gotten here. Let's keep our eyes peeled for the others."

They continued through a hallway that progressively got more and more golden the further they went into it. What was more amazing was what was at the end of that hallway.

A shiny and gaudy building was in front of them. A beautifully painted screen door sitting in the middle of the path, surrounded by bushes and golden fences. It's spiraling chaotic beauty was treacherous.

"Whoa, it's even gaudier than the rest of the museum…" Ann muttered in amazement.

"We should go beyond the doors. Madarame must have hidden away something important here," Morgana told them.

"Well, the only way to find out is to walk through 'em. Man, painted screen doors though— What the _hell?!_ The door just—"

Ryuji didn't even put his hand on the door, but they opened up like magic. One door revealed another one behind it and it gracefully parted away.

Beyond the doors were… _lasers._

"Whoa! The hell?!" Ryuji gaped at the lasers. They were impossible to slide through or even jump over because of how tall it went up. They surrounded the large screen door with painted peacock feathers. Something important was _definitely_ behind here.

Ann groaned at the sight of the infrared lasers. "There's _no way_ we can get past them…!"

"This level of security only proved there's something worth protecting up ahead," Morgana looked to the right of him and spotted a sign. "Hey, what does that say?"

Akira read it outloud, "'All personnel: This door can only be opened via the security room that lies beyond it. Please be cautious, as it is impossible to open from the outside.' O-oh. Um, we might have a bit of a problem then…?"

"Joker, that's _more_ than 'a bit'! How the hell're we gonna get in?!"

"Wait a second…! I think I've seen that pattern somewhere…" Morgana stopped Ryuji from having a semi-breakdown and stared at the door with an intense stare. It turned into shock when he realized what it was. "Oh _right!_ There's no mistaking it! That's the same door I saw in Madarame's house! Guys, let's head back!"

"Wait, why are we going back?!" Ann questioned.

"I think I know what real-world door that's based on. There may be another way to open it!"

Morgana was already trotting off without them. Ann, Ryuji, and Akira sighed and followed along with Morgana. Even though they're extremely coordinated when they fight, they're far from it outside of battle.

* * *

"How're we supposed to get past that door?" Ann sighed. It seemed like an impossible job, but she was crossing her fingers and praying that Morgana had an idea.

"I dunno… You think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?"

"The sign said that the controls for the infrared lasers are beyond the door, so I don't think there'd be a switch… U-unless it was lying?" Akira suggested to Ryuji.

"Yeah right, there's no _way_ we're gettin' inside of there…"

"Wayward souls, I have our solution! This is where I come in!" Morgana proclaimed and puffed out his chest, raising himself above Akira's head. The three of them turned to Morgana and raised their eyebrows in suspicion. "I have a place in mind. Remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame's Palace and I actually scouted it out when we went in."

"Whoa… So this was your plan from the start?"

"Correct," Morgana nodded at Ryuji's shock. Ah yes, he _should_ be shocked by his splendor.

 _"I doubt that."_ Akira thought, but Ann said his words in a slightly different way. Two minds really do think alike.

"…You only went 'scouting' because you were _bored."_

"That's besides the point right now— Monamona, where did you find the door?" Akira asked.

"It's on the second floor. I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there. Not only that, but the pattern on the door in the Palace and on the door in there were the exact same." Morgana licked his paw and yawned. "He's keeping it locked for a reason. He doesn't want people to see what's inside there."

"But don't we wanna be openin' the door in the Palace?" Ryuji was as confused as Ann. Akira picked up on it quickly and explained it to them for Morgana.

"By opening the real one, Madarame's cognition will change. He thinks the door is unopenable, so when he sees that it isn't as such, the door inside of his Palace will be wide open," Akira explained and hesitantly looked at Morgana "I-I mean, I think… Am I correct in my assumption…?

"Correct. To put it simply, the area in his Palace will open on it's own if we do it."

Ryuji shook his head and massaged his temple. Whatever Morgana and Akira was saying was too smart for him. "I'm still not really gettin' it… Is that gonna _work?"_

"Trust me! There's no chance it won't open!" Morgana mewled. "…I think!"

"N-nevermind, we're all dead. I take back my words," Akira turned his head away from Morgana and shunned him. Morgana yeowled and pawed at Akira's uniform, shocked that he would say something so cruel (it was only cruel because it came from Akira's mouth.)

"H-hey, _wait!_ I haven't been wrong with any of my assumptions so far, why would this one be any different?!"

"Haahhh… I-I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, but it seems a little bit risky…" Akira muttered. "What do you guys think?"

"There's still the hefty lock, right? Even if we _do_ get to the door, how're we supposed to unlock it?" Ann wondered. Morgana cackled once again and lengthened his claws.

"Oh, that'll be a _breeze._ Just give me a hairpin and I'll handle it," Morgana gloated.

Akira cringed at the thought of a cat picking a huge lock. "W-with cat paws…? Are you sure you'll be alright, Monamona…?"

"It _will_ take some time, but I'll do just fine. I can't do everything by myself in front of Madarame though. That'd be impossible. Ah, if only there was somebody that could distract him for a while…"

All three of them turned to Ann.

"H-huh…?" Ann did _not_ like the direction that this was going in.

Ryuji made a sound of realization and looked at Morgana. The damn cat had such a cocky and shit-eating smirk that even Ryuji felt pissed off when he saw it, but he accepted it with open arms. "Man, how are we even gonna get into his house? We'd get reported for sure if we force ourselves in… I guess the only way is… havin' you go _nude."_

_"WHAT?!"_

"Fancy you say that, Ryuji. I was just thinking the same thing."

"This _isn't funny!"_ Ann screamed at the two of them. "And why are we ignoring the fact that Akira can do this also?!"

"I-I don't have the same sex-appeal as you— I-I can't do it…!" Akira stuttered and covered his blushing face. "B-besides, you don't actually have to get naked…! Y-you just have to stall long enough for Morgana to pick the lock!"

"Yeah, it's just the best excuse for you to enter the house. Besides, Akira is a _total_ no-go, he ain't even allowed to _pretend_ nude model," Ryuji said before tackling a statement to the end of that. "And also because Yusuke _probably_ isn't gay."

"Why're we assuming he _isn't_ gay?! Look, I told myself that Akira _isn't_ allowed to nude model for the sake of his mental health, but this is—!"

"I-I'll pay you back _tenfold!_ I'll give you my kidneys and liver, just _not_ this time! Please please please please _please_ Ann?" Akira begged her. Ann jumped up and down in one spot and screeched, relenting to Akira's pleading

"Agh, I can't say no to you…! God— Fine, I'll be the damn decoy! This is _way_ too sudden…! I don't even know where the locked door is!"

"Don't worry. _I'll_ be accompanying you, Lady Ann."

"That's still technically only me… worst comes to worst, what if I get found out?!"

"We can run into the Palace! …Or something?"

"Is that _really_ gonna work?!" Ann scrunched her body up in exasperation. "I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan! Do I _have_ to be the bait?"

Akira put his hands together and bowed in apology towards Ann. "This is our _only_ option, and I think if I went in instead I'd just mess things up… We're leaving it to you, Ann. I-I'm _super_ sorry! I-I'll make sure to pay you back, promise!"

"All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, have him take you to that room, then just open the door."

"You make it sound so easy!" Ann hissed at Ryuji. "But if there's no other way… _God!_ Fine, I'll do it! For _justice!"_

She pointed at Morgana and glared at him. Morgana's fur stood up when she yelled at him, "Seriously, you _better_ pull this off!"

"If it's for your sake Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break!"

"We'll be countin' on you, Morgana! Don't let Yusuke notice ya, all right?" Ryuji threw him a pair of finger guns and Akira chuckled awkwardly. He felt like this wasn't going to end very well…

"If he tries to force my clothes off… I'll tear that house down!" Ann fumed. "I'm really gonna lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open. Got it?!"

"We're workin' to get dirt on that guy's crimes either way. It won't go to waste." Ryuji patted Ann on the back and she quickly slapped his hand off of her. Ryuji frowned and kept talking to her, "I'll do you a favor for this also, okay? Don't be so down, I'll pay it in full. Let's get down and dirty tomorrow."

 _"Tomorrow?!_ That early?!"

"The sooner the better." Ryuji shrugged.

Ann stuttered, "Um, b-but… will Kitagawa-kun agree?"

"I dunno, just say something like, 'I _really_ need it to be tomorrow,'" Ryuji put a sensual and high-pitched voice on. "That should work, yeah?"

"My voice does _not_ sound like that…"

* * *

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|9:22 PM|May 18th|**

**Ryuji:** did u contact yusuke yet??

 **Ann:** yeah. he said im free to come by tmrw

 **Akira:** oh, he fell for it. that makes things a lot easier

 **Ann:** do i really have to do this…?? I mean, like, isnt there another way??

 **Akira:** strip for him, Ann…

 **Ann:** I AM NOT STRIPPING!!

 **Ryuji:** man this is gonna be such a pain…

 **Ryuji:** we gotta get the door open AND have madarame see it right??

 **Akira:** Morgana said it'd change his cognition.

 **Ryuji:** i still dont rly get it…

 **Ryuji:** oh one more thing

 **Ryuji:** let us know if any weird shit goes down and we'll be there to back u up asap

 **Ann:** kk, i got it

 **Akira:** i hope it doesn't even come to that…

"Is the only way for us to do this is for Ann to do that…? There _should_ be another way…" Akira muttered while he took a DVD and shoved it into its player.

"I doubt we'll get any other opportunity to get into that room. The only way for somebody to go into that room is if Yusuke allows them to step inside." Morgana nestled himself on one of the wooden chairs provided and scratched his neck with his back leg. "You could do it instead of Ann, but I don't really think you're in the mindset for that."

Akira thought back to the PE faculty room again. Dark. It was dark and scary. The sun outside was setting and Akira could only see a tall figure in front of him.

Akira felt hands run over his body and the sensation of cloth in his mouth made him gag. He couldn't stand it. The hands then went from his chest all the way down to his ribcage, and then—

Akira shook his head and swatted away the thoughts of that incident. When was he going to get over it…? He's had much worse done to him, so why is this sticking in his mind? "…Yeah, I'd rather not."

"That's to be expected. The mind needs time to heal, so we should head to bed after we finish this episode," Morgana told him.

They did not follow the advice given and may or may not have watched the series halfway. Akira was laid in bed and laughed to his friend after he checked the time on his phone.

"Morgana, we're _so_ dead in the morning…"

"It was… so… worth it…! Supernatural shows get me so creeped out that it's amazing…"

They went to bed at 12 AM.

* * *

"Ah, it's you." Yusuke walked up to Akira while he was waiting for the train. "I'm wondering why Takamaki-san decided to accept the nude modeling proposition but you didn't. Are you conspiring something? What's the sudden change in attitude for?"

"W-well, I didn't accept it for personal reasons. Ann didn't tell me anything about accepting the modeling offer, so I don't really have anything to say," Akira lied. "B-but I hope your painting comes out nicely!"

"It really is hard to be upset with you— But I shall warn you, if you try anything I _will_ contact the police. I hope you understand that."

Akira understood that very well, but they didn't have any choice. He couldn't just idly stand by while Yusuke suffered in silence. Akira couldn't save himself, but he could at least save Yusuke.

They all met at the hideout after school and watched the rain pour out from the sky.

When Akira was on the train to the hideout, the rain lulled him to sleep, but he managed to stay awake, even though he was still a bit tired now that he was at the hideout.

"Ann, Morgana, we're countin' on you." Ryuji tapped his foot against the floor in anticipation. Akira and Ryuji were going into the Palace alone to secure the door's lasers, but the real deal breaker was if the operation in the real world succeeds or not.

* * *

Akira and Ryuji waited outside of the door and prayed that whatever crazy plan that Ann and Morgana were pulling off right now would work. Every second was like a truck load of anxiety placed on top of them.

Ryuji couldn't stop tapping his feet and adjusting his gloves so that the metal parts would fit better on his knuckles. "They seriously gonna be able to pull this off?"

"We can only hope and wait for them… Gosh, it's getting hot in here from the lasers though…" Akira fanned himself. Ryuji moved his mask off his face and wiped the sweat back off his brow.

"I'd take my jacket off, but this is actually a body suit…" Ryuji sighed. "Isn't this takin' too long anyways? Isn't Madarame comin" home soon? On top of that, even if Mona's able to unlock the door, how's he gonna show it to Madarame? And then even if they do show it open, any normal person'd just close it right up again."

"That's why we haven't moved a single inch from here— we need to be fast, even if it's just a few seconds… U-unghh, okay, I-I'm gonna take off my jacket, I'm too sweaty to think right now…"

Akira shrugged off his tailcoat and revealed the golden-buttoned grey waistcoat underneath. He quickly tied it around his waist.

"Joker, is that… sleeveless?"

"Huh? Wait, I didn't realize my waistcoat was actually sleeveless…" Akira ran his gloved hands hands on the bare skin of his arms. "I've never taken off my jacket before, so I didn't even know it was like this…"

"Huh, now I'm curious about my own clothing… I have an undershirt underneath my body suit but I don't know 'bout anythin' else…" Ryuji was about to take off the top part of his body suit to see but quickly stopped his hands from undoing his buttons and taking off his zipper. "God dammit, waitin' like this is driving us crazy! It should almost be time for Madarame and we haven't even gotten a sign that this place is gonna open…"

"We can only wait." Akira fanned himself and looked at Ryuji who was sweating bullets. "I-I hope Panther and Mona come quick. You look like you're burning up…"

"Yeah, more than you think I am… Damn, nothin's happenin'… Wonder what's takin' them— H-hmmm?"

The door was shaking violently until the large door moved open.

"…It's off! They actually picked the lock!" Ryuji exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.

"T-they're amazing… They actually managed to pull it off…!" Akira was in awe, still shocked that the door was wide open in front of them. They had been waiting for twenty minutes for this door to finally open and he was starting to lose hope, but the fruits of Ann and Morgana's labor were right in front of them. "W-wait… no time to be celebrating! We have to find the control room before it closes!"

 _"Shit!_ Okay, go go _go!"_

They ran in through the door and there was already a guard waiting for them. Skull took out his mace and Akira took out his knife, his jacket still tied around his waist. "There's no other way for us to get through here! We have to use brute force! Joker, I'm countin' on you!"

"I won't let you down!"

The security guard growled. "You must be the thieves who dare threaten Madarame-sama! I won't let you past here!"

"Here he comes…!" Ryuji gripped onto his weapon as the Shadow contorted. It was fucking huge, stupidly huge.

"…You cannot go any further! You are trespassing on Madarame-sama's territory!" The Shadow screamed at them, digging their yellow paws into the ground. Saliva dripped down their mouth.

Ryuji laughed. "You guys ain't got nothin' on us! I'm more scared of screwin' up and havin' Ann yell at me!"

Ryuji took his mace and slammed it into the leg of the Shadow, the spikes seeping into its fur and drawing blood from it. Ryuji quickly maneuvered out of the way from a large paw that probably would've cracked his skull if he didn't dodge it.

"This is going to be difficult with just the two of us…! _Matador!"_ Akira put it to sleep and looked at Ryuji for him to deal the damage. Captain Kidd appeared from behind Ryuji and drove his ship into the Shadow, essentially headbutting it into the ground.

The Shadow toppled over and Akira quickly jumped up and dug his knife into their body before making a long and deep slice into it. Ryuji pounded on the Shadow's head as hard as he could, drawing more blood from it.

"My knife's stuck—!" Akira grunted and tried to pull it free. The Shadow was back on its feet and quickly swatted Akira off of its back. Akira's own back collided with the wall and he screamed in pain. He could feel his HP drop.

 _"Dormina!_ Just a couple more hits and he's done for!"

"Grrraagh—!" Ryuji slammed his mace down onto its sleeping body and both of them ran in to deal as much damage as they could. In a flurry of blood, Ryuji dealt the last hit to its head and the body disintegrated.

Akira's knife dropped out of the Shadow as it dusted away and clattered against the floor. He picked it up off the ground, grunting as he bent down to retrieve it. His bare arms were covered in blood and it slowly dripped onto the floor beneath.

"Phew… Things're _real_ tough when it's just me and you… But we pulled through," Ryuji said and rubbed Akira's back. "That was pretty good."

"You did most of the damage though, I should be complimenting you…"

"Nah, you put that sucker to sleep! Sucks that Ann isn't here. We could've used her fire skills to deal some real damage…

"I wonder if they're doin' okay?"

"I hope they're fine… We have to turn off the security system. Let's get moving," Akira said as the blood fully disappeared from existence.

They quickly ran and in the upper part of the room, a large statue of Madarame's Shadow stood. It was disgustingly vain and cocky. Both of them ignored it for the time being— they'd be disgusted with it later.

Akira ran into the security room on the left and ran to the laptop that was opened and turned on.

"Load faster…!" Akira said, quickly typing onto the keyboard.

"Disengaging security protocol…"

"Sweet!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Now the lasers in the courtyard should be off for good. Well, that's mission complete! C'mon, let's get outta here!"

When they heard a Shadow extremely close to them as soon as they left the room, they booked it for the door and saw the poles that kept the infrared lasers active shut down.

Ryuji ran a hand through his hair when he saw it go down. "All right, looks like the security's totally off! Now we just have to get back to the others!"

They caught their breath in front of the door and waited for Ann and Morgana to come back.

"I hope those two managed to get away…" Ryuji hoped.

 _"Nooo!"_ Akira heard a loud yell from above. He titled his head up and saw a mess of red and blue fall down from the sky.

"Uh oh…"

Both Yusuke and Ann came falling from the sky. Yusuke landed on his feet with a large thump with Ann in his arms bridal style.

"Wait, where's Morgana…?" Akira questioned.

As soon as he said that, the creature came falling from the sky and slammed right on top of Yusuke's head and caused him to fall on his knees from the sudden impact. Morgana bounced off of him and yowled in pain.

"Aaagh… Owwwwwwwww!"

Ann moaned out, "I thought I was gonna die…! Hey, will you let _go_ already?!"

Ann pushed her hands on Yusuke's chest a bit too harshly and he fell onto his back.

 _"Ungh—!"_ Yusuke grunted out. Ann quickly realized what she did and scrambled to her feet to help Yusuke up.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to push him so hard… Are you okay? Wake up!"

It took a while for Yusuke to come to his senses, but when he did—

"Who are you all?!"

"Calm down, Kitagawa-kun! It's me!" Ann raised her hand to refer to herself. Yusuke's eyes trailed over her outfit.

"…Takamaki-san? That means you two are… Hm? I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before though…" Yusuke put a hand to his head and kept staring at the gold surrounding him. "What is this place?"

"U-um, it's a bit complicated but, we're inside Madarame's heart, Kitagawa-san," Akira explained.

"Inside… Sensei's heart? I'm sorry, Kurusu-san… but are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"He ain't lyin'," Ryuji said. "This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-gilled money-grubber."

 _"Enough_ of this rubbish!" Yusuke yelled.

Ann intervened and stopped Yusuke. "Kitagawa-kun! Didn't it cross your mind that something wasn't right about Madarame?!"

"That's…"

"You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame's eyes… _This_ is his true nature," Ann explained calmly to him.

Yusuke took a look around him again. The gold, the architecture, the plants, the large room— _"This_ replusive world? Just _who_ are all of you?!"

"I guess you could say… we're a group that changes the hearts of rotten crooks," Ryuji crossed his arms when he explained that to him. Yusuke was still in disbelief and he didn't quite understand any of it at all.

"If everything you say is true, then the sensei I know doesn't exist…"

"You gotta snap out of it," Ryuji told him.

Yusuke shook his head. "Still… he has kept me safe these past ten years. My gratitude for that won't just disappear."

"You're gonna forgive him?! At this rate you'll…"

Yusuke tried to keep himself calm, but he collapsed to his knees and covered his mouth when Ryuji kept trying to tell him the truth. Ann crouched down. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm _trying_ to be rational about this, but my emotions are overwhelming me…"

Morgana tapped on Yusuke's shoulder in a hurry. "Sorry, but we don't have time to dawdle! The security level's gone through the roof! We need to get out of here at once!"

Yusuke was panting, trying to push down his nausea and truck through it. He slowly got back up onto his feet, but he looked pale and sickly. Akira knew what that felt like— the overwhelming disbelief at a situation. But unlike Akira, Yusuke was strong enough to pull through it.

"Lean on my shoulder if you must," Akira told him. Yusuke shook his head and put a hand on his stomach.

"…No, it's all right."

Akira frowned, but they started to move.

"We have an amateur with us right now, so let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible!" Morgana told them. Akira nodded and tightened the jacket around his waist even more.

Ann threw a surprised look at Akira, _just_ realizing that Akira didn't have his tailcoat on. She didn't say anything about it.

When they entered one of the rooms with all of Madarame's pupils on the wall with their faces plastered on paintings, Yusuke felt a chill up his spine. "So this… is the inside of Sensei's heart? A vain museum such as this…?"

They said nothing and left Yusuke to collect his own thoughts. They were getting closer and closer to the exit of the Palace, but Yusuke stopped once again in front of a painting of a girl.

"Ah, this painting…!"

"Do you recognize it? We were thinking these might be his past pupils or something…" Ann trailed off.

"But… why are there paintings of them here?"

"Technically, those aren't actually paintings. They're the pupils themselves," Morgana explained.

Ryuji looked at Yusuke's ever paling expression and frowned. "Madarame saw 'em as objects, so that's what they are in here… Oh, and uh… we found yours too."

Yusuke bit his lip at the truth. The truth hurt more than he could ever imagine. Turning his gaze away, pretending to be blind… it hurt too much to think.

"We'll talk more later," Morgana told Yusuke. "For now, let's get out of here."

They ran down the stairs and just as they were about to leave into the main lobby of the museum, two guards sprung up from the ground. They were so close…!

"The exit is _right there!"_ Morgana clenched his fists and turned around when he heard a distorted laugh behind him.

"Who is it?! What the—" Ann looked to see a man in golden robes, his hair in a topknot with red painted lips.

"Talk about bullshit clothes! First a king, now some kinda shogun?!" Ryuji clicked his tongue annoyedly at the appearance of the man. Akira and Ryuji had seen the statue, but they finally had the chance to see the real Shadow version of it.

"Welcome to the museum of the _master artist_ Madarame!" The Shadow laughed and tucked his hands in his long sleeves

"Huh? _Sensei?_ Is that you? That attire…"

 _"Disgusting."_ Ann spat.

Yusuke kept looking at the person who had raised him. Everything… this had to be… "This… This is all one big lie, isn't it?"

"My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act." Madarame scoffed. "Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home… under a mistress's name, of course."

"T-that's quite a setup you've got…" Akira fumed.

"Hahaha! Don't make me _laugh."_

"If the 'Sayuri' was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?!" Yusuke kept asking questions that needed answering, but every single time Madarame opened his mouth to tell him something new, he couldn't handle it. "If it's really you, Sensei… please tell me!"

"Foolish child. You still don't see?" Madarame snorted. "The painting being stolen was just a _false rumor_ I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"

"What do you mean?!"

"Let me see… How does this sound?" Madarame's smile was unnatural. It was corrupt and unkind, unloving and unforgiving. This wasn't the person Yusuke knew… or _believed_ to know. "'I found the real painting, but it can't go public… You can have it for a special price, though…' Haha! How's _that_ for preferential treatment?! Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!"

"No…!" Yusuke collapsed, one of his knees bruising from his fall. He felt sick, everything felt overwhelming and bad.

"The value of art is purely illusion. What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers?" Madarame provided the truth that he had created for himself. "Though, I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!"

"You keep goin' on and on about money _this,_ money _that…_ No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!" Ryuji raged.

Ann screamed at him in anger, "You're _supposed_ to be an artist, right?! Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work?!"

Madarame laughed at their foolish ignorance. "Art is nothing but a tool… A tool to gain money and fame!"

Akira couldn't say anything. He didn't have the right to say anything, because he was the exact same. Abusing the title of 'art' and 'music' to gain money and fame is what his life centered around.

_"I really am less than trash, aren't I…? But even so, I—"_

"You helped me greatly as well, Yusuke…" Madarame thanked him. It wasn't a thank you, it was a fucking lie. Every bit of shit that spewed from his mouth was nothing but paper mache and cardboard. It was _trash._

"God… Pisses me off… _That's_ your teacher," Ryuji told Yusuke.

Yusuke's eyebrows furrowed and he gripped the cloth of his shirt. His heart was beating faster and faster, like it was going to explode at any second. "But what about the people who _believe_ in you? Who think you're a master artist?!"

"…I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise against me," Madarame laughed. "Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha!"

"To think I was under the care of this _wretched_ man!"

"You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas…" Madarame couldn't stop running his mouth. "After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back."

"I can't believe this…" Yusuke muttered in disbelief. It was barely heard.

"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!" Madarame kept pushing Yusuke down until his spirit was a pile of rubbish. "…But I tire of this little chat. It's time that I—"

"You are unforgivable," Yusuke shook in rage and spoke through grit teeth.

"Hm?"

"It doesn't matter who you are… _I_ _won't forgive you!"_

"So, you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude? You damn _brat!"_ Madarame gestured to his guards. "Men! Dispose of these thieves!"

They took a step forward and Ann was reaching her hand out to grab onto Yusuke and pull him into the middle of the group, but he spoke before she could even act.

"…How amusing." Yusuke laughed in a bout of hysteria. "It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm?"

"Kitagawa-kun?!" Ann exclaimed.

Akira saw it. The light that shined inside of him that was dull and grey, but a flicker of a rebellious nature sparked inside of Yusuke.

 _"Nurture it,"_ Akira told himself. _"Nurture it so that it nevers dies out."_

"I wanted to believe it wasn't true… I had clouded my vision for so long… My eyes were truly blind… Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one _horrible_ man!"

Akira spoke to him. "You've finally opened your eyes, Yusuke…" He saw the flicker become a roaring flame, a raging beast inside of his heart, "now let yourself loose."

**_ "Have you finally come to your senses?" _ **

Yusuke's eyes turned yellow. He grasped his head, a pounding in his heart, a drumming in his brain, the wounds that were cut and bleeding… Everything that he was blind to was apparent right in front of him.

**_ "How foolishly you averted your eyes from the truth… A deplorable imitation indeed… Best you part from that aspect of yourself!" _ **

Yusuke let out a gut-wrenching scream and fell to his knees. His fingertips scratched the floor and dragged itself down, a clear trail of blood that was scratched raw from the desire to rebel…

**_" Let us now forge a contract… I am thou, thou art I… The world is filled with both beauty and vice… It is time you teach people which is which!"_ **

A kitsune mask circled his face and accentuated his glowing yellow eyes. He slowly and elegantly rose to his feet.

Madarame, the person who should be above all and stand above all was watching in agony and fear. A person that blossoms from a place of agony should be watched—

"Very well…" Yusuke placed his bloodied fingertips on the side of his mask, heeding the beckon of his inner self.

"Come, Goemon!"

Blue flames surrounded him. A large man with a pipe in hand and unusually high wooden sandals stood cockily, ready to show the true strength of what a person's resolve could show.

"Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle… Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known… _Abominations are fated to perish!"_

Icy wind pushed back the guards and Madarame shivered. He quickly swatted the cold air away with his sleeve and growled. "Hmph… Who do you think you are?! The price for your insolence will be _death!_ Where are my guards?! Kill them all!"

Even though evil had sprung up from the place he cared for… He was ready to tear it all down. "The children who adored you as 'father'… The prospects of your pupils… How many did you trample upon? How many dreams did you exchange for riches?! No matter what it takes… _I will bring you to justice!"_

"Are you ready?" Akira asked him.

The reason why a person that blossoms from a place of agony should be watched is because the only flower that can sprout from that place…

"I am ready!"

_Is the only flower that survived a garden of malevolence._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE THANKS TO [BERRYFARTSART](https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryfartsart/pseuds/berryfartsart) FOR BEING MY BETA!!! THEY'RE ACTUALLY SO AMAZING THEY MADE THIS CHAPTER CRISPY CLEAN!!


	19. Chapter 17: Eager To Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beauty of a pupil is no longer confined in a box… but Akira feels something different after ascertaining the knowledge of a counselor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I DIDN'T POST LAST WEEK!! I had finals week and it was pretty shitty ngl. but hey!! here ya go!! also it's my birthday tomorrow and I'm officially 16 years old because I'm fucking stupid. also follow my Twitter @ShotaAnarchist to get fic updates and stuffs :))))

"I learned much from you, Madarame. In order to see authenticity… one must be  _ dispassionately _ realistic." Yusuke's tail that was wrapped around his waist floated upwards as Goemon summoned his strength to fight back against the oppressor. "With Goemon by my side… I can now ascertain your true self without any reservations!"

"Goemon!  _ Bufu!" _

Hesitation was unnecessary when faced with something he couldn't ignore. Not anymore… not ever again.

"Pass it over to me!" Akira instructed him. Yusuke didn't even ask questions, his hand lifting without him even processing what he was doing. He could see it all. How much strength his enemy had, how much power the people he was allied with had, the words that came out of his mouth which were unfamiliar yet familiar… It was all so magnificent and breathtaking.

"Come,  _ Ame-no-Uzume!" _ Akira's Persona appeared behind him and suffocated the Shadows with ice. Their skin froze over and cracked open, their wings made them drop to their rightful place: the floor. "Panther!"

_ "Dormina!" _ Ann shouted. "Show off to the newbie,  _ idiots!" _

"I'm  _ not _ an idiot!" Ryuji shouted at her and charged in with his mace. Morgana raised his sword up high and ran to the Shadow in the middle of the tengu creatures.

Skull landed a mighty blow to the blacksmith Shadow's face. The spikes of his weapon tore away at the melty black flesh of the creature, turning it into mush and splattering blood onto his clothing.

Morgana stabbed his sword through the arm of the Shadow and cut it clean off of its body. The decapitated arm splattered into goo and disappeared into ash. The Shadow was quickly regrowing it.

"They're all down! All-Out Attack!" Akira yelled and dove into the knocked out tengus. Yusuke didn't realize what he was pulling out from thin air, but a wave of blue fire surrounded his hand and summoned a katana. He quickly took it out of its sheath and slashed through all of the tengus.

Yusuke was as fast as a fox. Ryuji was quick when they kept slamming the shadows down and turning them into dust and Ann was doing well with her whip. Morgana and Akira focused on the main Shadow after the other three took care of the tengus.

The Shadow was focused on only one of them and he pushed past Akira and Morgana, knocking them to the ground and out of his way. If he couldn't kill them all, he would settle for one of them.

"Y-Yusuke!" Akira yelped. The Shadow headed straight for him and lifted up his hammer to slam it down on Yusuke.

Yusuke was taken by surprise. In a split second, the Shadow was hovering above him and he couldn't do anything.

The hit connected.

Yusuke felt his face smash in from the sledgehammer that the Shadow was wielding. Yusuke was launched backwards from the impact, but he kept his feet planted to the floor.

When he looked up, blood was dripping down his nose and lip, but he wasn't knocked down from that. He was still standing.

"Holy  _ shit! _ Just how resilient is this guy?! Whoa shit—!" Ryuji exclaimed when the Shadow maneuvered his body to slam his hammer into Ryuji instead. Ryuji took a step back, but he was too reckless with his arm being out, and it got slammed. "Sh-shit—! You'll pay for that, dammit!"

"I'm not exactly in a friendly mood towards this creature… I request your help!" Yusuke asked Ryuji and wiped away the blood on his face with his glove. Ryuji smirked.

"Didja even need to ask that?  _ Get rekt'd!" _ Captain Kidd and Goemon looked at each other knowingly before following along with their contracted users, slicing in with pure strength.

The Shadow flew into dust and left nothing behind.

Madarame stood in shock and backed away step by step as Yusuke came closer and closer, but all of the pressure and injury he had sustained from the battle knocked him down to his knees as he clenched his stomach in pain.

"Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain," Madarame said with a disdained voice. "I'll destroy  _ every _ chance you've ever had of becoming an artist!"

_ "Madarame!" _ Yusuke seethed, glaring and baring his teeth at the person he used to admire.

"You'll forever rue the day you dared defy me." Madarame walked away, not sparing another glance at someone who was unworthy of his greatness.

Yusuke tried to chase after him, grunting and struggling to get back up onto his feet, but his efforts were fruitless. "Get… back here!"

Ryuji and Ann kneeled down next to Yusuke to support him. Morgana stood by to take care of him if needed, but Ann was so concerned he doubted that he needed to intervene. 

"Kitagawa-kun!"

Yusuke grit his teeth and squeezed his knee in frustration. "Why can't I move?!"

"Listen, you're totally drained! You can't do much, even if you wanted to!" Ann told him.

"What a disgrace I am!"

Ryuji looked him in the eyes. Both of the boys were bloodied and battered, but that was something they can relate to. "C'mon, just listen to her."

Yusuke frowned, but he listened. They settled into the front lobby and Yusuke sat down on a bright green sofa, wrapping his arms protectively around his stomach. Morgana sat next to him on the couch and Ryuji leaned against it.

Yusuke went through a lot, and Akira wouldn't be able to fault him for that, even if he wanted to. 

Ann had to ask him. "You've known for quite some time, haven't you?"

Yusuke bit his lip and sighed depressedly. "I'm no fool. Strange people have been coming by for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. But… who would want to admit that the man they owed their life to was doing such terrible things?"

"Why didn't you leave, Kitagawa-kun?"

Yusuke looked at Ann and gave an even deeper sigh. He looked so lost and alone, yet so confident and himself. It was unnatural, but it made him look like a painting to Akira.

"Well, he  _ is _ the one who painted the 'Sayuri.' On top of that, I owe him a great debt…"

"You mean 'cause he raised you?" Ryuji leaned over the top of the couch and looked at Yusuke as he spoke to him.

"I… never knew my father. I was told my mother raised me by herself, but she died in an accident when I was three," Yusuke explained to them. "That's when Sensei took me in. I heard he helped my mother while she was still alive."

"Heard…?"

"To be honest, I don't remember much about my mother either." Yusuke shut his eyes and grimaced. "I did everything I could for Sensei. I thought of him as a father… but he  _ changed. _ To think he would treat the 'Sayuri,' the very foundation of his art, like that!"

"…A lot's happened to you, huh?" Ryuji frowned at Yusuke's past. This was a really sour way to accept the truth, but at least he finally accepted it.

"When you had mentioned plagiarism… deep down I knew you were right," Yusuke looked to Ryuji with regret. "That's why I so vehemently denied you… I was simply running from the truth. I'm sorry."

"There's no need for apologies." Akira walked in front of Ryuji and smiled. Yusuke stared into his eyes; the eyes that held the life and beauty of the world, yet at the same time all of the pain and suffering of it. What was so endearing about this person's soft smile and gaze? "It's in the past now, Kitagawa-san. Let's get along well!"

Akira held out his red-gloved hand and Yusuke hesitantly took it. His sad appearance turned brighter when he held that small hand in his own. "I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time."

"You're  _ way _ too serious, man," Ryuji patted Yusuke's back with a smile. "That's why you're always gettin' stuck in your own head. Look at me! I just go with the flow."

"For real." Ann snorted.

Morgana sat up and looked at Yusuke. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know…"

"We can't help the fact that Madarame's gone and changed. But… we can change his heart. We'll make him pay for his crimes," Ryuji told him.

"That reminds me, you mentioned something about that 'change of heart' earlier…"

"Have you heard the rumors? The one about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts?" Morgana meowed.

Time stopped for Yusuke. He looked at Ryuji and Akira, and then he looked at Morgana and Ann.

It finally hit him.

"……?! Don't tell me…"

Before Yusuke could finish, guards sprung from the ground like water from a fountain. All of them quickly turned around and stood up.

"Oh crap!" Ryuji spat. 

Morgana looked behind him and started backing away. "We'll talk later! We need to scram!"

Yusuke nodded but then he felt something… odd. Of course he knew there was a mask on him but…"When did my clothes change?"

"You  _ just _ noticed that now?!" Ryuji exclaimed as Yusuke pulled on the fingers of his blue gloves. The collar part of his bodysuit was quite low also… It exposed his collarbone.

"Save it for after!" Ann scolded them. "Let's go!" 

* * *

Akira stirred his coffee after they finished explaining to Yusuke about the history of the Phantom Thieves of Heart.

"I see… And because of that, this PE teacher had a change of heart," Yusuke recapped and Akira nodded. "The Phantom Thieves who steal hearts… To think they truly exist."

"W-we  _ are _ right in front of you… But it does seem crazy, doesn't it?"

"No, I have to believe all of your words after seeing a world like that. It'd be hypocritical of me if I refused to look at the truth once again…" Yusuke looked at his left hand, the one that he had used to tear off his mask. He would never forget his true self any longer. "So your plan with Madarame-sensei— with  _ Madarame _ is to force a change of heart, correct?"

"That's right." Akira sipped on his coffee. He didn't expect the next words to come out of Yusuke’s mouth.

"Let me join… as a member of the Phantom Thieves."

Akira choked on his coffee and almost spit it back into his cup, but he painfully swallowed it instead and coughed.

"Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of the others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well.That… is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was… in some manner, my father."

Ann chuckled softly. "…Civil, huh…"

"Sounds fine to me. We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways," Ryuji agreed.

Morgana poked his head out of Akira's bag and drew the attention of the table as he spoke. "He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up. We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe… Remember how we mentioned this on our way here?"

"Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to  _ many _ organizations. If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out… We have no option but this."

"Kitagawa-kun…" Ann frowned, but she quickly turned it the other way. They were here for a reason… To rid the world of rotten people.

"It's a deal then!" Morgana meowed. Ann smiled.

"We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves now! I hope we get along, Yusuke!"

"You better not slow us down," Ryuji joked before he pointed his thumb to Akira. "Oh, and you should tell this guy over here to call you by your first name without honorifics, or else he's gonna be callin' you 'Kitagawa-san' 'till the end of time."

"Why specifically without honorifics? Wouldn't asking to call somebody by their first name imply without honorifics?"

"Yeah, but Akira isn't like that…" Ann sighed. "He called us 'Ann-san' and 'Ryuji-san’ for the longest time until we had to tell him to use our name without the honorifics…"

"Ah, then please call me by my name without honorifics," Yusuke requested.

"In that case, call all of us by our first names also!" Ryuji smiled and put his cup of ice water to his mouth. "If we're gonna be teammates, we might as well!"

"I shall call you by your names as well. It seems like a fair trade-off."

"H-hey, this conversation is getting a bit out of hand…! I can't believe it spiraled like this just because of the way I speak…" Akira pouted.

"What kinda messed up country dialect do you have…?" Ryuji mumbled. "Kyunin-shutsu people got a weird ass way of teaching Japanese… How the hell is Kyunin Savant still standing if all of you guys speak like this?"

"Now you're just making fun of me…"

_ "Anyways—" _ Ann cleared her throat and ended Ryuji's back and forth conversation. "Do you know what's happening with the real Madarame right now, Yusuke? Both of us were kinda in a really tight situation when we fled into the Palace…"

"Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing Ann, and just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his Shadow."

"What exactly did he say?" Akira asked.

"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch one high school girl," Yusuke informed them and fiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves. "However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."

They all groaned at that notion. Ryuji's head slumped and he bashed his fist on the table in shock. "Jeez, talk about bein' completely on guard…"

"Legal action… He's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets." Ann scoffed.

"W-why is it always the police…?" Akira grumbled.

"If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss." Yusuke picked up his cup of water and swirled it around in his hand, watching the ice cubes clatter onto the sides before taking a sip.

"Right when I think the talk about being a nude model is over, this happens?!"

"We'll have to force a change of heart before then, if we're to dodge this 'legal action' thing. Looks like our plan must be accomplished while the exhibit is still open!" Morgana grinned.

"By the way…" Yusuke was staring at Morgana and gestured over to him, "what is this?"

"Huh? A cat."

"But it's  _ talking." _ Yusuke looked at Ryuji and rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. A cat that talks…?

"You have a problem with that?!"

Yusuke shook his head at Morgana. "No, not really."

"Why not?" Ryuji was surprised by Yusuke's answer. It's a talking cat, how the hell would you  _ not _ be bothered by it? In any other situation you would have thought that you've gone crazy!

"He's just on a different wavelength than other people," Ann sighed.

"Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best of me, in that case."

"Hm…" Yusuke leaned over the table and stretched out one of his hands.

"Hey, don't touch me like—"

Yusuke pressed the small button sitting on the table that was right in front of Morgana, a short but sweet  _ ding _ resonating inside their little booth.

"I was thinking of ordering some black bean jelly," Yusuke told them.

"I bet he got that idea from a 'black cat'…" Ryuji muttered.

"Oh!" Yusuke exclaimed and shoved his hands into his pockets before taking them back out again. "I didn't bring any money."

"…Nevermind. He's just  _ weird," _ Ann ran a hand through her hair and observed Yusuke's face.

"I-I'll pay for it… You can consider my debt for you paid, so order anything you'd like. My treat!" Akira smiled. Ryuji quickly grabbed a menu off from the side and flipped through the meals.

"For real?! Man, Akira, you're the best!"

Morgana whispered into his ear as the other three started to share their ideas on what they should get. "Aren't you running a bit low on expenses…? I thought you were saving up for something…"

"It's fine… I’d rather spend it on time like this instead of using it for what I wanted," Akira smiled. He looked at the grinning faces of his friends and smiled when Ann tapped his shoulder and pointed to a dish that they could share with each other.

He wished that they could stay like this forever.

* * *

**《The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (3)》**

**|9:56 PM|May 19th|**

**Ryuji:** legal action tho?? that aint funny

**Ann:** i dont think its SUPPOSED to be funny… 😬

**Akira:** yeah, not in the mood to deal with police… or getting sued again

**Ryuji:** if the police hears about us theyre totally gonna get in touch with the school

**Ann:** and then its all downhill from there…

**Ann:** but school is the least of our worries. we'd be arrested for unlawful entry, defamation… we've probably committed even more crimes now that i think about it…

**Ryuji:** guess that means we rly cant afford to eff it up this time

**Akira:** we have to be very careful on what we do from now on

**Ann:** yeah, all that matters is what we do after!! we can do it!! 😊

"We just need to change his heart before he presses charges, but I think it'll be a breeze since you have your stupid tradition… We have to tell Yusuke about it, don't we?"

"H-huh? Going through the entire Palace in one go…? Well, let's see if he's okay with it when we meet up…" Akira headed up the stairs and sat his bag down.

Morgana crawled from the bag and put his paws in front of him, lifting his backside up to stretch. "Palaces sure are rough… Hey, want to finish up the show we were watching last night?"

"More like this  _ morning… _ But yeah, let me get changed and I'll put in the tape!" Akira threw his shirt and pants off before putting on a soft jacket and sweatpants.

Akira popped in the tape and sat on the chair. He had bought a few snacks from the store nearby and pulled them out to munch on. Akira was still wary of giving Morgana any human food because of the body he was currently residing in, so he got fish for him instead.

"I don't think I like the idea of aliens any more after this…" Morgana muttered. "If we ever met one, I think I'd be too scared to move…"

"…But you're okay with Shadows and Personas? Those are basically demons of the cognitive world."

"Those are  _ different. _ I know what Shadows and Personas are, so they aren't that scary."

"So in other words, if you meet an alien and you get to know them, you wouldn't be scared of aliens anymore?"

"Stop twisting my words around." Morgana exhaled through his nose and finished off his sashimi. "Seriously, what guts do you have to watch this…?"

"Movies like these aren't scary. Real life is scarier than this." Akira commented. "Look, there's going to be a jumpscare."

"What? How would you— WAAAHHH!"

"I-I even told you and you got scared…"

"Shut up!"

Akira laughed and they finally finished the series together.

When he woke up the next morning and walked inside the school, the board at the front was plastered with a table of all of the student's names. He sniffled and fixed the mask on his face, trying not to sneeze every five seconds.

"Oh, our grades are out," a female student with auburn hair mumbled. "How'd you do?"

"Damn… I'm dead…" The boy next to her sobbed. The girl patted him on the back to give him comfort, but she relished in her own achievements.

"Phew! I'm above the average. That's the real dividing line. My allowance is safe for now… But hey, what's the name at the top of the second year's? They got a perfect 100 percent… I've never heard of them before."

And just as Akira had expected, his name was at the very top of the list; the most perfect of perfect scores. Morgana whistled.

"To think you're  _ this _ smart… Oh hey, looks like Ann and Ryuji scored above the average! Huh, looks like your teaching really helped them!"

"I'm really proud of them… They must've studied hard," Akira smiled through his pain when he saw their grades. As soon as he said that, both of the blonds came in the school entrance at the same time.

"Oh shit, grades are out… I'm scared to even look…!" Ryuji shuddered in fear, but he still trailed over the names to find his own.

"Same, this is sort of terrifying…" Ann muttered before she finally found her name and froze.

"Wait… This  _ has _ to be a mistake, right…? There's  _ no way _ I'm above average…"

"For real?! Holy shit, I'm above the line also?! No 'effin way… I hadn't even placed for an  _ average _ score before this and I've been already bumped up this high?!"

Ann and Ryuji's mouths were gaping. Morgana cackled at their wild expressions. "You should thank Akira for this! He's your school's top student right now. Take a look for yourself!"

Ann and Ryuji's eyes moved at the top of the board, all the way up, and—

"'Kurusu Akira, 100 percent'?! Oh my god. 'Kira, you're  _ this _ fucking smart?! You just knocked down the reigning champion of top scores…!" Ryuji looked at the name right below it and laughed. "Man, Miss Student Council President hasn't even gotten a perfect score… You completely crushed her."

"D-don't say that…! Now I feel like a bad person…"

"I can't believe I just heard somebody say that they regret getting the highest score on a test…" Ann mumbled in awe with wide eyes. Akira shrugged and turned his head away from the board.

"A-anyways, class is getting started! L-let's just forget about this…"

"Hey, you can't just ignore your perfect score. Ain't that a crime?!"

Akira plugged his ears and refused to listen to Ryuji as he chased him up the stairs.

* * *

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|3:13 PM|May 20th|**

**Ryuji:** yo so ive been lookin into yamauchi lately and i thought id give you an update

**Ryuji:** i dont have to stress about my grades as much as i did so im goin into this case HARD

**Akira:** i'm glad it did well on your conscious!

**Ryuji:** its all thanks to you buddy

**Ryuji:** yamauchis been hanging out at this monjayaki shop a bunch & apparently he gets real drunk & brags to his coworkers

**Ryuji:** if we can get close we might get some intel!!

**Ryuji:** ill treat ya to monjayaki while we're there

**Akira:** wait, wouldn't he notice you though?? or am i eavesdropping on my own??

**Ryuji:** youll be eavesdroppin on your own

**Ryuji:** but hey, free food, right?

**Akira:** well, when you put it like that…

**Ryuji:** aha! i knew i could count on you bro

**Ryuji:** lemme figure out when hes drinking there. lets put a hold on trainin till then, aight??

**Akira:** treat me to some good food!!

**Ryuji:** yeah yeah, i gotchu

"It looks like Ryuji is going to be occupied for a while, so I might go and hang around Maruki-sensei…" Akira muttered while he scrolled through his text messages. He started to head for the door and over to the nurse's office. When they were right outside of the office, Morgana hopped out of his bag.

"I'll hang around the school then. Make sure to call out for me when you're done!" Morgana dashed through the hallways and made a few students squeal as he made his escape.

"At least do it so you don't cause any trouble…" Akira mumbled and opened up the door to see Maruki reading a magazine of sorts.

"Welcome! Care to have a few snacks?"

"Gladly."

Akira and Maruki talked about inane things

"I've been getting a lot of students coming in ever since I arrived here. To be honest, it's been… kind of a relief," Maruki sighed. "That whole mess with Kamoshida was the reason I was called here, after all…"

"For damage control reasons."

"Ouch… You aren't wrong, but I see you're becoming a lot more brutal with your words."

"Oh, sorry… D-did I offend you in any way?" Akira asked hesitantly. It looked like Ryuji was rubbing off on him and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Not at all. I like the honesty from you. They did warn me about the students and how many of them had been impacted, so I knew there would be a lot of free-floating anxiety. Regardless of the reason that I was hired, I'll still make sure the students feel less burdened." Maruki looked at Akira and smiled. "But when I actually got to talk to everyone, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the things on everyone's minds were college entrance exams, relationship problems… In other words, typical worries for high school students. Some did open up about deeper issues, but not the majority."

"A-ah, that's a relief…" Akira smiled. At least some of them got over their trauma… something that Akira couldn't manage to do. What was their secret…?

"Some students were still struggling with the scars from the incident, yes… But at the very least, I'm glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps towards recovery."

Akira couldn't explain how awkward he felt. Maybe nervous? He wanted to spill out all of his traumas yet at the same time he wanted to keep his mouth zipped up forever. If he let a single detail out about himself, he wouldn't know what to do. "So, they have?"

"Well, that's not to say I've gotten a sense of every single student's emotional state. Either way, I hope my worries end up being groundless after all." Maruki hit Akira with that smile that made him want to open his mouth and say something nonsensical and stupid, something that has always been in the back of his mind since he was born. "I know I'm not the most reliable guy, but remember you can always talk to me too if something's bothering you. I  _ am _ the counselor here, you know. If nothing else, I'm good at listening."

Akira wouldn't say what was going on in his brain, because a perfect person does not have silly worries like that. He would smile instead. "I'll take you up on that offer one day, Sensei. It's reassuring to know you're there for me."

"Having said that, it's a little awkward that I have to ask for your help, but… You remember how I asked you to help with my research?"

"Of course I do!"

"I said you'd be helping with my research, but don't worry. It won't be anything too difficult or intensive. I just need you to listen to what I have to say, and work through some questions with me," Maruki said. "But let's see… Maybe I should start at the beginning. I can tell you a little about what this research is for."

Akira nodded as Maruki continued.

"What I'm studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or perhaps more fancifully, in the heart."

_ "Oh?" _ Akira had to force himself to keep his shocked expression down. It was getting harder and harder to put up an act, but he needed to put this one up for the sake of the team.

"Some specific examples include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you, or being separated from those you love… Maybe this would be clearer— pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress," Maruki explained to him. Akira was gaping at this point, unable to hide his shock. This was similar to what they were doing, but to find a definitive cure for it outside of that world…? A response to cure emotional pain and  _ not _ corrupted desires. Maruki continued, satisfied with Akira's expression. "Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An autonomic response to injury, illness, whatever. But what about the pains felt within one's heart? That pain isn't born from any tangible problem in our bodies, right? It's something strange and immaterial."

If Akira could dedicate his time to this research to see it's completion, he wanted to help out with it. If this could be applied to him… To have any pain that he had  _ fixed… _ He would be the perfect individual.

But did he even want that anymore?

"I guess it goes to show there are still a lot of mysteries in our own hearts and minds. And I… well, I want to learn more about these internal, psychological pains. Now, this is my question to you… When do you feel pain in your heart, Kurusu-kun?"

Akira could say so many things.

Being abandoned by the people he wanted to believe in, people telling him that he'll never amount to anything, being used as a puppet for other people's enjoyment and schemes… There were too many things that he could say, but he could only say one thing that would describe it all.

"…When people betray the trust that I'm supposed to give them."

"I see… Yes, I can sympathize there. Sometimes, all it takes is one betrayal for intense trust to turn into intense pain." Maruki nodded in understanding, but it felt like he would never truly understand what he'd been through. "It can be rough. It doesn't feel good to struggle with pain in your heart."

"You're right. It doesn't."

"But with that in mind… How about the pain of a broken heart, then? After all, that kind of pain is only born because we fall in love, right?" Maruki asked him. Akira hesitantly nodded, not really knowing what a broken heart feels like or what love even is. He sings about it all the time in his songs, yet he's never truly understood it.

_ "I guess I can't truly understand what Maruki-sensei feels, either…" _

"Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain, Kurusu-kun?"

"I-I uh, I'm not very qualified on what love is… But I sing enough about it to know that a broken heart never means it's the end. The world is big, you're bound to find a new seed for love."

"Hahaha, I guess I should've expected that answer from a musician. You all have a way with words," Maruki laughed. "But it's a wonderful sentiment. A very positive way of looking at it."

Akira blushed and turned his head away. Not because it was a compliment, but because he suddenly realized that he hadn't trained at all this entire month. He was so dead when June came.

"Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though some say it's always coupled with other feelings… And I agree, of course. I think that's a fair assessment. Though personally speaking… I'd think if pain can be avoided, it should be. Maybe it shouldn't exist at all."

"Maybe it shouldn't… It would be bothersome to continue your regular routine knowing that something bad just happened."

Maruki leaned and grabbed his juice box. "Exactly. Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they're far more complex than physical injuries. That's why I'm doing this research… To save people who are suffering from internal pain they keep holding onto. You helped me realize that purpose again. Thank you."

"O-oh, no…! I don't think I did anything special… But I hope whatever I said today helped."

"Of course! Thanks to you, I can articulate my thoughts for once."

Maruki sipped his juice box dry and placed it on the table before standing up and stretching his arms. "Okay, I think that'll do for today. Hm…? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something…?"

Akira raised his hands hesitantly and pointed to himself. "U-um… My part of the deal…?"

"Huh? Oh…  _ Oh! _ Uh, I didn't forget about our promise, of course!"

"I can't believe I, an idol, was put aside by my own counselor…" Akira joked but it seemed to drive Maruki even further up the wall.

"No, no, no, no,  _ no! _ I'll teach you tricks for mental discipline, and you help me with my research! Just like we decided, right?" Maruki quickly sat himself down and instinctively grabbed the juice box and put the straw in his mouth, only to remember it was empty. He cleared his throat and put the box back down in embarrassment.

"Now then… how about something like this today?"

Maruki trained Akira how to concentrate and focus better. You have to cleanse your mind of any outside forces and only focus on one thing and one thing only.

His conversation with Maruki made him realize he wasn't practicing his dancing at all, and that terrified him. If he didn't do good for his evaluation, something bad might happen to him.

Akira shuddered when he thought of his manager with his angry eyes. Nagafuji was a good person, but he couldn't say the same for the others. They were… not good people.

Akira grimaced when he fixed the strap of his bag while Morgana snoozed away. Akira remembered the things that transpired in that company. Nagafuji was kept in the dark from everything due to his position, but the things that happen when he isn't there are  _ brutal. _

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|9:23 PM|May 20th|**

**Ryuji:** yamauchi said hes gonna go drinking at that monja restaurant!!

**Ryuji:** youll go w/ me 2 help investigate undercover right??

**Akira:** you're buying?

**Ryuji:** damn you only care about the food dont you?

**Akira:** i do

**Akira:** that was a joke please don't be mad…

**Ryuji:** you sounded so scared through that text LMAO

**Ryuji:** im countin on u for this! the bar is in tsukishima. ur gonna have 2 use a train map

**Akira:** i hope i don't get lost!

Akira then proceeded to get confused with the train lines for a solid five minutes and almost missed the train that he was supposed to board on. 

Akira gasped in exhaustion when he finally made it to the monjayaki place with Ryuji. They started to eat their fill, but when the door opened, Ryuji scrammed for the bathrooms. Two men walked in and sat at a table, ordering food and alcohol to satisfy themselves.

Akira got a phone call from Ryuji and answered up and held it up to his ear, but he heard nothing. When he heard the beep of a text message instead, he put it down and watched his frantic typing in real-time.

**《Sakamoto Ryuji》**

**|9:56 PM|May 20th|**

**Ryuji:** the teach w/ him has shit one me 2

**Ryuji:** sry imma stay holed up in the bathroom

**Ryuji:** PLEASE LEAVE YOUR PHONE ON SO I CAN LISTEN

Ryuji was muted on his end. He pretended to hang up on the call and sat his phone down on the table so Ryuji could listen in on the conversation.

"Things have been much calmer without Kamoshida. Those were some real dark times for Shujin though, huh?" The teacher eagerly poured Yamauchi another shot of sake with a smile on his face. "But now that he's gone, you finally get the chance you deserve, Yamauchi!"

"Don't flatter me, haha."

_ "He's  _ been _ flattering you…" _ Akira thought as he shoveled up more monjayaki from the stove onto his plate. He should save some for Ryuji.  _ "…Should I just eat all of this? Oh well, he's treating me out. I'll just eat it all." _

"He had his strengths, sure… but because of him, our volleyball team will be forever scarred. The only real option now is to abandon it completely. There has to be a way to bring Shujin back into the limelight though. That's where I come in…" Yamauchi said. Akira swallowed down another spoonful of monjayaki to keep his mind occupied. He usually didn't eat this much. Actually, he  _ never _ ate this much, but he felt the need to.

"You mean with the track team, right?"

"The students who went through so much hardship under Kamoshida rise again with a caring new advisor… It'll be the rebirth of a team that found themselves in the depths of despair… The public will love it. Despite my lack of track and field knowledge, I'll form a tight bond with the students… I'll be the protagonist of my very own tear-jerker… And of course all the praise for reviving them will go to me, their incredible, loving advisor."

The two men were barely eating anything as they spoke to each other. Akira could see their sinister intentions and watched them like a hawk. He felt like he was going to barf if he kept eating, but he kept at it to give off the appeal that he was here to eat and  _ not _ to eavesdrop.

They were here to appeal to the public. An underdog story crafted for greatness, but everything with a PR team has something sinister that they have to hide. Akira knew what that was like all too well… He wouldn't let that happen to this team for Ryuji's sake.

Yamauchi continued, "I'll have to hire a great coach if I want to pull this off though."

"So you're gonna pretend to coach them while someone else does all the legwork? Amazing, Yamauchi!"

_ "Is he kissing up to him…?" _ Akira sipped on his water and looked at him through the glass that was covering his face, his features warped and distorted from the design of the cup.

"Such stunning achievements will look great when it's time to hand out bonuses… But I'm not gonna stop there either… I'll publish books, give motivational speeches…" Yamauchi could ramble on and on about what he'd do in the future, but that future would never come if they could stop it.

The other teacher finally took a bite out of his food and asked Yamauchi a question. "What about all the troublemakers on the team? I've heard that Nakaoka kid is especially bad."

"Nakaoka…? Oh, you mean the one who asked them to bring the pre-Kamoshida coach back?" The other teacher nodded and Yamauchi shrugged and laughed. "Don't worry, I've already taken care of him…"

_ "Uh oh. He isn't going to say what I think he'll say, right…?" _

"There's this other boy on the team… Takeishi. Doesn't really excel in much of anything. Well, I said I would make him the new captain if he could get rid of that troublemaker Nakaoka."

_ "And there it is. What's with adults taking advantage of kids…? I don't get it. I still don't get it…" _

"I might've mentioned something about how Nakaoka was working with Kamoshida too… Subtly, of course."

If Ryuji's mic wasn't muted, Akira would be able to hear him fuming in the bathroom. He was about ready to cuss and burst through the door. He could feel Ryuji's anger.

"And? What ended up happening?"

"Apparently, Takeishi chased him away… The plan worked perfectly! And the best part is, not only are Takeishi's parents loaded, but his mother's the president of the PTA."

"I see… He'd make a great pawn!"

"Perhaps, but a nothing like him could never captain a successful championship-winning team. He may have to have an unfortunate 'accident' at practice one day. But until then, he can show the others the value of obedience."

Ryuji was right. Yamauchi was a mini-Kamoshida in the making, ready to abuse power and take advantage of other people's lives for his own gain.

Akira had almost forgotten the truth of this world since he was having so much fun, but this reminded him all over again on why he stayed silent in the first place.

Everybody takes advantage of you, and you aren't any better.

The men left soon after, and Ryuji exited the bathroom, slamming his fist on the table as Akira served him a plate of monja 

"That effin' asshole!" Ryuji groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "If we don't do something quick, Yamauchi's gonna get rid of Takeishi too… Goddammit!"

"It isn't our problem, though," Akira said while he flipped the monjayaki that was on the stove and evened it back out in the center. "We should talk to Takeishi about it."

"Yeah. This ain't our problem, it's the track team's. So… they're just gonna have to decide on their own."

Ryuji picked up a spoon from the utensils box and put some food in his mouth. "Y'know, track ain't a team sport. At least, sprintin' wasn't."

"Huh?"

"You've got teammates, sure… but you're really just lookin' out for your own time. That's why I never thought about askin' people for help or tryin' to solve our problems together. But… I can't ignore the stuff they're goin' through now. I mean, even though we had our own goals n' shit… We were still runnin' together." Ryuji clenched his fist. "They suffered with me, gritted their teeth with me… Honestly, I think it was only 'cause of them I was able to run at all. So I can't just go and turn my back on 'em now, right? I know that ain't the coolest thing to say, but it's how I feel."

"Give yourself more credit, Ryuji. I thought what you said was pretty cool!"

"Huh?"

Ryuji lowered his head down and ate some more food. His cheeks were pink. "…F-for real? Thanks man…"

Akira nodded and kept his lips pressed together. "A-and now… I think I'm going to barf…"

"Huh?"

Ryuji looked up from the floor and his shy demeanor faded. He saw Akira's pale white face trying to hold in his nausea, shaking and biting his lip.

"W-wait, did you eat too much…?" Ryuji stammered as Akira covered his mouth and quickly left his seat for the bathroom.

Akira threw up.

When Akira came out he slumped in his seat with a sad expression. "I-I just wasted all of that food… It went right down the drain…"

"You shouldn't eat that much if your stomach can't handle it… Be more careful, all right?"

"I don't have much experience with eating food. It's usually either I don't eat anything at all in a day or I binge eat…" Akira muttered.

Ryuji looked at him worriedly and passed him his glass of water. "That… isn't very healthy, dude."

"I-it isn't," Akira stated and he took the water and drank it. "I've gotten better over the last few years. It's a lot more manageable. I used to be a lot worse."

"I guess we're gonna hafta make sure you don't barf after every meal… You should tell this to Morgana. Jeez, you're like a kid. You're so responsible yet at the same time you can't take care of yourself… The hell's with that…?"

Akira laughed and leaned his face onto his hand, staring into Ryuji's eyes. Standard and normal for an Asian person. They don’t stand out and attract attention… He sort of envied that.

* * *

Today was the day that they'd infiltrate the Palace. They all met at the accessway and leaned against the metal rails, staring out at the people below them.

"Yusuke, we still need to explain the basics to you, don't we?" Morgana asked him. Yusuke nodded.

"Oh, you mean about the Metaverse and the Nav. Yeah, I guess that stuff  _ is _ pretty important."

"Please elaborate," Yusuke requested.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. First, the Metaverse spots where we act as the Phantom Thieves are called Palaces. Palaces are worlds that take form from someone's cognition… A materialization of their reality."

"So do we each hold Palaces within ourselves as well?" He asked.

Morgana shook his head. "No, not just anyone will have one. It's primarily those with strong distorted desires…"

"They basically gotta be criminals. Real bastards like Kamoshida or Madarame."

"On the other hand, Palaces can't exist within Persona-users. It's just impossible for them to form. Basically, your Persona is the true feelings of your heart, which arise from accepting your inner Shadow," Morgana explained. "Then since you have full control over your emotions, there's no way your desires can get distorted."

"S-so that's how it works…"

"O-obviously I knew that…!"

"B-both of you… nevermind…" Akira sighed. "But we use something called the Metaverse Navigator to get into that world. We call it the 'Nav' for short."

Ann nodded. "It's actually pretty simple. Just say a person's name, location, and distortion, then you're in."

"Location…?"

"Ah shit, how do I explain it… Madarame's location is 'shack,' and his distortion thinks it's a 'museum.' Or somethin' like that…" Ryuji mumbled to Yusuke and scratched his head.

"How do you know what their Palace is going to look like if you have never set foot in it before…?" Yusuke asked.

Akira sighed and looked at the people walking along the streets of Tokyo. "W-we…  _ don't. _ You can assume what it might look like based on the keywords, but you don't know any of the layout. You find it out as you go through the Palace."

Yusuke put his hands to his chin and closed his eyes in thought. "Hm, I feel as though I have a good grasp on the basic concepts. If anything arises which I fail to understand, I'll rely on those more experienced than myself."

"Yeah! I gotcha covered, newbie!" Ryuji smiled at him and patted Yusuke's shoulder. "We're gonna make a great team!"

"Uhh, you should probably ask Morgana if you need anything," Ann told him. Yusuke looked at Ryuji's face and nodded, ignoring his hurt expression.

"Thinking back to Madarame though… I can't believe he'd consider pressing charges."

Yusuke thought back to Madarame's enraged expression as they fled into the Palace. "Yes, I've never seen him show such anger before. He is most likely quite serious about that."

Ann frowned and stuck her foot in between the metal bars "What should we do…? There's no way we'll be able to win if that happens."

"He likely won't act on that threat until the final day of the exhibit: June 5th," Yusuke informed them. Akira pulled out his phone and marked the date on his calendar as he kept speaking. "Simply put, I doubt he would be so foolish as to taint his name with a trial during his exhibition."

"All right, so we just gotta steal Madarame's heart by then." Ryuji pushed himself off of the rails and pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering above the app. "There's no way we're gonna let him press charges… We'll show people who he really is!"

"A-ah, before we go in… should we explain to Yusuke our tradition?" Akira looked at Yusuke, who seemed to be a bit confused.

"Tradition?"

"Basically," Ann started, "we secure a route to the Treasure in  _ one day. _ As soon as we go in today, we're clearing out the entire thing. It gives us more free time for other days instead of letting the time slip away."

"That seems… brutal."

"It's  _ so _ satisfyin' though. You gotta do it Yusuke, you'll sleep like a rock. Everytime we exit out of the Metaverse I get the  _ best _ sleep ever."

"I will… participate in this. I hope I can offer my support."

"Let's head inside then. Ryuji, fire it up!" Morgana told him. Ryuji grinned and pressed the app with his thumb before pressing the go button, and off into the abyss they went.

They appeared in front of the golden museum and sighed out. They would be completing this all  _ today. _ It seemed like hell, but they would get a lot of exercise.

"O-oh, wait!" Akira stopped them. "We haven't chosen a codename for him yet."

"It  _ has _ to be 'Kitsune.' You know, with the kitsune mask and everything," Ann pointed at Yusuke's white and red mask with fox ears on top.

"Hell yeah. That  _ really _ leaves an impression."

"Are you talking about me?" Yusuke looked at the four of them and put a hand to his mask, adjusting it on his face.

"What do you want your name over here to be?" Ann asked him.

Yusuke thought about his answer before he replied. "I'd say 'Da Vinci.'"

Akira couldn't believe he was actually serious about the name he gave them. Akira refused. "I-I don't think that fits our theme…"

"Well, you've got that mask like Ann said… and there's that weird tail… All right! You're Abura-age!"

"C-can we choose something different…?" Akira sighed while Morgana snorted at Ryuji's answer.

"Very well."

"He's agreed to it?!" Morgana yowled. Akira shook his head and groaned. He was surrounded by idiots, but they were  _ his _ idiots now.

"It's decided then! You're Abura-age!"

"Nuh-uh! Not happening!" Ann laughed. "What do you have in mind, Joker?"

"Something that isn't hard to pronounce…" Akira muttered. "…Fox? All of our names are English oriented…"

"Keepin' it literal, huh? Sounds good to me." Ryuji nodded. Akira looked at Yusuke and waited for him to agree with the chosen name. He hoped that he would say yes, because then he'd have to go through a fucking dictionary to find a suitable name.

"It's acceptable."

"It's set then. Let's go." Ryuji was about to leave into the last safe room they were in until he realized that Yusuke didn't know how to make himself appear there. "Uh, I'll help Fox gettin' into the safe room. You guys go on ahead."

"Should we really be trusting  _ you _ to teach him…? Wouldn't it be better if I did it?"

Ryuji shook his head at Morgana and crossed his arms, confident in himself. "Nah, nah! I can do this by myself, no worries. You guys go on ahead."

"Oh, okay then…! I'll see you there, Skull!"

"Y-yeah, see you there Joker…"

It took them a good five minutes. Yusuke either learned fast or Skull was a good teacher. Morgana and Ann assumed it was the former.

They appeared in a burst of blue flame and stepped towards the table. Yusuke pulled his mask to the side of his head and pinched in between his eyebrows. "Do you usually get a headache after transporting yourself in here…?"

"Eh, you'll get used to it after a while," Ryuji told him. "You can only travel to safe rooms you've been to."

"Then how did I get here?"

"That's… Joker, help out please…?"

Akira laid the map down on the table and tried to figure out what to do next. He spoke to them as he inspected the routes. "It's because Skull accompanied you. If you tried to get in here by yourself, it wouldn't have worked because you don't know what the room is like or where it is. Ryuji came in with you, so that's how it worked out."

"I see… This world and its mechanisms are quite interesting. I hope to learn more about it."

Ann sighed. "It's  _ pretty _ difficult. I still struggle most of the time. Oh, hey, can you see what's on this bottle?"

"That's…!" Yusuke saw the bottle and its contents, but not the way he would've thought. "What are these… numbers? Statuses? This is strange…"

"That's the SP or HP that it gives. It's a Water of Rebirth in this case, so it gives SP. You can tell by the pinkish bar," Morgana explained and slid the bottle to Yusuke. "It seems that you can see the statuses already because your Persona started off at a higher level. It's also a good time for you to learn how to transfer things in and out of your pocket."

"Pocket…? I believe that my uniform doesn't have pockets."

"Oh uh, the 'pocket' means our little pocket dimension thing. You shove shit in it and you can pull it out. It's all about visualizin' it, so it shouldn't be hard for you,'' Ryuji told him as Yusuke clenched the bottle in his hand and concentrated. "Just imagine putting it in a box or somethin'. That's what I do."

In a few seconds, Yusuke put it inside of the box. Morgana whistled. "I think you learned that faster than Joker."

"H-he beat my record… I'm proud! You're really good, Fox!" Akira cheered him on happily. Yusuke pulled the bottle back out and shaked the liquid inside of it vigorously.

"Amazing… How many things are you able to fit inside?" Yusuke asked.

"We don't really know that yet… B-but we'll try it out eventually!" Akira smiled. Now that a new person was on the team, he had to get used to their presence.

Ryuji and Ann noticed the almost complete reset in Akira's words in actions, like their progress bar had reverted backwards. Akira wasn't a very talkative person in general and it had taken a bit to break him out of his shell, but he was back to being kind, shy, and stuttery.

Ryuji just needed to wait so he could bring the snarkiness back from Akira… if there was any left, that is.

"Let's head out, then. You'll be able to learn along the way. It's a bit hard to explain; showing you is the best option." Morgana jumped down from the table and put his paw on the door and looked back on the others. "Are you guys ready to go out?"

"Ready!" Ryuji called back and cracked his knuckles. "We're gonna steamroll right through 'em!"

"I'm good to go!" Ann smiled and pushed herself out of her seat. "I get to show off in front of Fox here!"

"I'm ready. I'm eager to learn from you, Panther. I'll be sure to keep up."

Akira smiled at them and watched as Morgana opened the door.

"We're doing this all today! Make sure you're at your best!"

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my socials!! And also DM me if you want
> 
> Discord: ShotaAnarchist#9076  
> Twitter: @ShotaAnarchist


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